UK Fintech Vacancies to Rise 14% as Payments Lead Market

UK fintech vacancies are forecast to rise by close to 14% in 2026, following 28% growth in 2025. 

According to the latest Fintech UK Finance Labour Market Trends report from Morgan McKinley and Vacancysoft, hiring is shifting decisively towards payments infrastructure, engineering and compliance rather than consumer neobanks.

The upward trend in fintech hiring appears to be sustained beyond typical seasonal fluctuations, with data from early May supporting this momentum.

Specifically, first-quarter hiring showed a year-on-year increase of over 13% compared to the same period in 2025. London continues to solidify its position as the primary hub for the sector, with vacancies in the capital rising by 17%. 

The capital is also expected to account for 71% of all fintech hiring, notes the report. 

The data suggests that the fintech sector is shifting towards an operationally-focused phase. Instead of broad expansion in consumer fintech, hiring is now increasingly concentrated in key areas: payments, compliance, engineering and infrastructure.

Mark Astbury, Director of Project & Change Recruitment at Morgan McKinley explains: “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.”

According to Mark, these underlying changes highlight how capital and human resources are being redeployed to support structural resilience across the wider financial technology ecosystem.

Compliance hiring becomes more selective

The rapid post-pandemic expansion in the fintech sector led to a significant ‘compliance boom,’ driving a near 22% increase in Legal, Risk & Compliance vacancies in 2025. 

However, this market is now showing signs of change, with a forecast 4% dip in vacancies  expected in 2026. Furthermore, banking-related hiring is also projected to decline by 8%.

Increased regulatory scrutiny, especially in digital lending, payments and stablecoins, is significantly boosting demand for specific fintech roles. Hiring for Credit Analysts is projected to jump by nearly 46%, and AML risk and compliance vacancies are expected to grow by 28%.

Conversely, recruitment in financial crime and credit risk is expected to retreat sharply after the expansion recorded in 2025.

Technology remains the principal engine of recruitment growth. 

IT vacancies are projected to increase by over 13% in 2026, with London accounting for the majority of this demand. Specifically, a substantial 18% rise is anticipated in the capital, contrasting sharply with growth of under 1% across the rest of Britain.

Growth is particularly strong in certain technology functions. IT infrastructure roles are forecast to see the highest growth, climbing nearly 31%, making them the fastest-growing major technology area. Following this, IT development and engineering vacancies are expected to increase by almost 19%.

In contrast, IT support roles are showing a subdued trend. The expected growth rate for these roles has dropped significantly from 17% to 9% over two years, a change attributed to the steady displacement of traditional support structures by automation, outsourced delivery, and cloud-based systems.

Neobanks come second to payment firms 

Consumer neobanks are now slowing down their recruitment following several years of rapid growth. 

This contrasts with payments infrastructure providers and platforms aimed at SMEs, which are increasingly seeing greater success and are outperforming the neobanks.

Hiring is projected to increase significantly at both Radius and SumUp Payments, with forecasts suggesting a rise of over 42% for Radius and nearly 28% for SumUp Payments.

Firms with crypto links, such as Payward (which operates Kraken), are undergoing rapid expansion, with Payward's vacancies expected to surge by almost 91%. This growth is likely in anticipation of the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) developing framework for cryptoassets.

Conversely, in 2026, both Monzo and Starling Bank are forecast to decrease their hiring activities.