Kafene, a New York City-based startup that offers lease-to-own options to credit-challenged consumers, has hired Shujah Awan as its first general counsel.

Awan comes to Kafene with significant experience scaling early-stage fintech companies. He most recently was chief legal officer of Roxe, a group of blockchain infrastructure companies powering global payments. He also was general counsel of CapVenture Partners and co-general partner of its venture fund.