London drives sharp rebound in UK Fintech hiring

London drives sharp rebound in UK Fintech hiring

Fintech hiring in 2025 accelerated sharply, led once again by London. The latest Morgan McKinley and Vacancysoft Fintech report shows that capital is forecast to see a 37% year-on-year rise in vacancies, accounting for 70% of all fintech roles in the UK. This means nearly three-quarters of the nation’s fintech jobs will be based in London. Growth outside the capital remains positive, with regional markets projected to increase hiring by 16%.

Lower interest rates and streamlined regulation are helping to restore confidence in the industry. London’s status as a global fintech hub has been reinforced by geopolitical uncertainty and stable governance. Quarterly trends confirm the rebound: after a mid-year dip, hiring surged in Q3 and momentum has been sustained into the final quarter.

Compliance and credit risk in the spotlight

Risk and Compliance hiring is booming, up nearly 26% year-on-year and accounting for more than half of all banking roles in fintech. London dominates, holding nearly three-quarters of such vacancies. Financial crime and credit risk roles are growing fastest as firms respond to fraud, compliance and AI-enabled risks. Credit risk has more than doubled, while fraud risk has climbed sharply. Risk management is declining as firms shift focus to specialised areas. Regulatory governance is evolving quickly, demanding more niche expertise from an industry already under intense supervisory scrutiny.

Technology Roles Continue to Dominate

IT remains the cornerstone of fintech hiring, with vacancies projected to rise by 35% in 2026. Technology accounts for 41% of all roles. Development and engineering continue to dominate. These areas are key to scaling digital banking, payments platforms and wealthtech products. IT management roles are also on the rise, while support roles are declining amid automation and outsourced models. Specialist areas such as analytics and cybersecurity are attracting growing attention. London continues to lead, but regional demand is slowly expanding across the tech landscape.

Michael Moretti, director, technology, Morgan McKinley commented: “London is powering a new wave of fintech expansion. After a cautious couple of years, firms are now hiring with renewed conviction, especially across technology and compliance. The surge in demand for developers, engineers and specialist risk experts shows the sector is doubling down on innovation, resilience and scale. This is a clear signal that UK fintech is entering its next phase of growth, with London at the centre of it.”

Growth concentrated among fast-scaling firms

A small group of high-growth firms increasingly shapes the fintech hiring landscape. Radius leads with a surge in roles across payments, telematics and SME services. SumUp is close behind, reflecting strong demand for its merchant tools. Ebury, Sage and Fitch Ratings are also expanding sharply, building out teams in risk, engineering and product. FNZ rounds out the leading group, investing in wealthtech integration despite external financial pressures.

Together, these companies illustrate where the sector is headed towards platform innovation, SME infrastructure, and global digital finance, underpinned by deep investments in compliance and technical scale.

Top 5 Companies, All Professional, Vacancies, Fintech, UK, 2023-2025 Est

 

17/12/2025