UK fintech hiring is forecast to rise 14 per cent in 2026, continuing a strong run of growth as the sector moves beyond the neobank-dominated era.
The projection from City recruiter Morgan McKinley follows a 28 per cent expansion in fintech hiring recorded across 2025, signalling sustained momentum in the industry.
London is expected to capture around 71 per cent of that hiring activity, reinforcing the capital’s dominant position within the UK’s financial technology landscape.
Mark Astbury, a director at Morgan McKinley, said: “This is not a slowdown in momentum, but a reorientation of where growth is occurring.”
Astbury said growth was becoming “increasingly concentrated in IT infrastructure and engineering roles” as firms prioritise scalability and cloud-native architecture over product expansion.
Technology remains the leading driver of recruitment, with IT vacancies forecast to climb over 13 per cent in the coming year across the fintech sector.
Infrastructure roles lead that charge with a projected rise of 31 per cent, while IT support positions are expected to fall to nine per cent from 17 per cent as automation takes hold.
Payments firms and platforms built for small businesses are cited as “increasingly outperforming” digital banks, marking a notable shift in where fintech growth is concentrated.
Software and technology provider Radius is forecast to grow its headcount by over 42 per cent, while payments firm SumUp is tipped for a 28 per cent hiring rise.
Astbury said the “centre of gravity within fintech is shifting” as the landscape evolves away from consumer-facing digital banks toward infrastructure and Business-focused platforms.
“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,” he added.
The neobank cohort itself has delivered a mixed set of recent financial results, with varying trajectories emerging among the sector’s most prominent players.
Monzo posted a profit of £87.3m as its customer base grew by a quarter, reflecting continued strong performance from one of the UK’s best-known digital banks.
Starling recorded a slight dip in performance amid a programme of controlled account closures, which slowed customer growth alongside a £20m investment into its software-as-a-service division.
Revolut posted a 57 per cent surge in group-wide profit to £1.7bn, driven by a record expansion of 16 million retail customers across its global network.
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