Overview
A bespoke CCAF secondment targeted at those working for policy/regulatory authorities in the domain of fintech
The Secondment Programme is offered to those whose field of profession is in fintech or regulation innovation, financial regulation, central bank or other relevant policy/regulator authority, including being in charge in the creation and implementation of regulatory frameworks.
The secondment is primarily for those who want to work with an experienced team to aid them in the specialisation.
Duration:
6 to 12 months
Start date:
Rolling. We select secondees relative to our workload. Start date to be agreed between secondee and the CCAF.
Time commitment:
Each agreement is bespoke, but it can be between 15 to 35 hours/week.
Renumeration:
There is no possibility of a paid stipend.
The programme
The bespoke CCAF Secondment Programme is offered to those whose field of profession is in fintech or regulation innovation, financial regulation, central bank or other relevant policy/regulatory authority, that is actively working in the themes of interest to the CCAF.
The secondment is primarily for those who want to work with an experienced team to aid them in their specialisation. The secondment is remote and open to applicants from any geographical location.
We create research focused on these themes, and the role will entail researching a topic, supporting data collection and analysis, and outreach. The candidates will be able to support the CCAF in capacity building and education, and the development of digital tools. This is a great opportunity to work with the Centre’s network of influential collaborative partners across the world.
The secondment is ideally a 6 to 12 month engagement for successful candidates to fully immerse themselves in the on-going research projects and gain the most of what the programme has to offer in terms of experience, learning and skills as well as flexibility with respect to duration.
The role
You will work with the relevant team and gain experience in research and outreach in that theme. An advantage is given to those who have worked with or for a financial regulator on the subject of alternative finance/fintech.
Over the course of the secondment, successful candidates will work directly with the relevant team of experts at the CCAF in a dynamic, flexible research centre of excellence. They are to support the CCAF’s programmes and initiatives, including but not limited to research, capacity building and education, and the development of digital tools.
You will work with the CCAF team that is actively researching your chosen theme with the regulatory innovation team. The team is responsible for delivering research on regulatory innovation, working closely with regulators across the world. The team is also responsible for engaging with regulators in the existing forum, the regulatory knowledge exchange. We value the experience of regulators and during the secondment the person will see regulatory responses to fintech in other jurisdictions globally.
Main responsibilities
Research
A key focus of our team is regulatory innovation research:
- scoping and summarising of literature (including academic, regulatory, and industry-specific publications)
- support with the creation of databases
- drafting surveys
- engaging with specific parts of the data and literature and writing reports under supervision
Liaison and communication
- Stakeholder management (maintaining existing relationships).
- Partner outreach (eg regulators and multinational organisations, individual experts and contributors.
Benefits
As a secondee you will:
- gain practical research experience and insights into the inner workings of a leading research institute
- work with a world-leading research institute and have access to the knowledge sharing sessions with peers and experts from the Centre
- may be invited to be co-authors of research papers
- receive a certificate upon successful completion of the internship programme to accelerate your career in digital assets by enhancing your CV
Having worked for the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) for more than four years, I decided on a secondment that aligns with my career path, complements and enriches my existing knowledge and experience, as well as giving me a different perspective and exposure. The secondment opportunity in the Cambridge Regulatory Innovation Hub team at the CCAF was the ideal opportunity to utilise my existing regulatory knowledge and expertise while sharpening my research skills, project management skills and stakeholder engagement skills.
Through its work, CCAF helps inform regulators globally in the area of alternative finance and fintech, so that they have the right tools and knowledge to regulate their markets, meet regulatory standards and best practices to meet their regulatory objectives.
During my secondment, I got to work on different projects and work streams, including: gathering data on regulatory sandboxes and innovation offices globally, working on developing digital tools, speaking at events, in addition to creating and leading two working groups on the Regulator Knowledge Exchange – Fintech Regulation in MENA and Women in Fintech Regulation. I also had the privilege of being a graduate of the first cohort of the Cambridge Digital Assets for Regulators programme and reviewing the programme from a regulator’s perspective.
Since returning to the DFSA, I use the knowledge and experience gained from my secondment when dealing with applicants for the Innovation Testing Licence programme (the DFSA’s equivalent of a regulatory sandbox). I am also leveraging the stakeholder management and networking skills I gained to seize opportunities for collaboration with other international regulators and development organisations. All-in-all a hugely positive experience with practical learnings.
The biggest asset at the CCAF is its people – their diversity of thought, creative minds, and curious and knowledge seeking mindsets. Working alongside such an inspiring group of people was a true privilege that inspired me and influenced me to adopt the same mindset.
During my secondment I had the opportunity to work closely with an incredible team of people who are passionate about fintech, innovation, and regulation, an experience I truly value.
My work focused on Real-World Assets (RWA) tokenisation, where I explored practical use cases in EMDEs as well as the legal and regulatory questions that come with them. I also contributed to the 2026 Global AI in Financial Services research and supported work on promoting competition in digital financial markets.
What I found more valuable, though, went beyond the technical work. Seeing how different jurisdictions are approaching similar challenges, each in their own way, really reinforced the importance of taking a broader, more comparative approach to regulation. I leave this experience not only with new knowledge, but with a fresh global perspective and meaningful connections with people who are asking and working through the same questions.
Ready to apply?
If you meet the criteria for this secondment internship, we’d love to hear from you. Note that applications are considered on a rolling basis. Given the high volume of interest, we are unfortunately unable to respond to all applications.
It is easy to apply you only need to compete two simple steps: