UK fintech hiring to rise 14% in 2026 as neobanks slow
Wed, 27th May 2026 (Today)
UK fintech vacancies are forecast to rise by close to 14% in 2026, according to research by Morgan McKinley and Vacancysoft, led by payments infrastructure, engineering and anti-money laundering roles.
The findings suggest recruitment is shifting away from consumer neobanks and towards more operational and compliance-focused parts of the sector. Vacancies rose 28% in 2025, and early May data showed first-quarter hiring was running more than 13% above the same period a year earlier.
London is expected to remain the centre of demand, accounting for 71% of all fintech hiring. Vacancies in the capital are projected to rise 18%, compared with growth of less than 1% elsewhere in Britain.
The sector appears to be entering a more selective phase, with firms focusing on engineering, infrastructure, compliance and payments rather than broad-based expansion. That marks a shift from the rapid hiring seen at consumer-focused fintech businesses in recent years.
Compliance shift
Within compliance and banking functions, the picture is mixed. Legal, Risk & Compliance vacancies are forecast to fall 4% in 2026 after rising by close to 22% in 2025, while banking-related hiring is expected to decline by 8%.
At the same time, some specialist roles are expanding quickly. AML risk and compliance vacancies are projected to rise 28%, while Credit Analyst hiring is forecast to increase by nearly 46%.
The report linked that trend to greater regulatory scrutiny of digital lending, payments and stablecoins. It also said hiring in financial crime and credit risk is expected to ease after unusually strong growth in 2025.
Technology roles
Technology remains the biggest driver of hiring across fintech. IT vacancies are forecast to rise by more than 13% in 2026, with London absorbing most of that demand.
IT infrastructure roles are expected to record the fastest growth among major technology functions, climbing by close to 31%. IT development and engineering vacancies are forecast to increase by nearly 19%.
By contrast, IT support roles continue to lose ground. Their share of fintech vacancies has fallen from 17% to 9% over two years, as automation, outsourcing and cloud-based systems reduce demand for traditional support work.
Neobanks slow
Company data in the report suggests payments firms and SME-focused platforms are gaining ground on consumer neobanks in hiring. Several neobanks are now moderating recruitment after years of rapid expansion.
Radius is forecast to increase hiring by more than 42%, while SumUp Payments is projected to increase vacancies by nearly 28%. Ebury is expected to post a 32.1% increase, while Wise is forecast to grow hiring by 14.6%.
Crypto-linked businesses are also expanding. Payward, the operator of Kraken, is forecast to increase vacancies by nearly 91% as firms prepare for the Financial Conduct Authority's evolving cryptoasset framework.
By contrast, Starling Bank and Monzo are both projected to reduce hiring in 2026. The pullback underscores a broader shift across the sector, as recruitment moves from customer growth and product roll-out towards infrastructure, controls and specialist operations.
"The UK fintech sector is entering a more disciplined and structurally selective phase of growth. This is not a slowdown in momentum, but a reorientation of where growth is occurring. Growth is increasingly concentrated in IT infrastructure and engineering roles, as firms prioritise resilience, scalability and cloud-native architecture over pure product expansion. Most significantly, the centre of gravity within fintech is shifting. Payment infrastructure providers and SME-focused platforms are now outpacing consumer neobanks, many of which are beginning to moderate hiring after years of rapid expansion," Mark Astbury, Director of Project & Change Recruitment at Morgan McKinley, said.