Fintechs dominate LinkedIn’s top start-ups list

The fintech landscape continues to go from strength to strength. Investment into the UK’s fintech industry climbed to $16 billion (£12.1 billion) in the first half of 2018, according to the latest KPMG figures. This was more than one-quarter of the worldwide total.

 

Furthermore, LinkedIn recently revealed the top 25 most sought-after start-ups in the country, and fintechs are without a doubt this year’s stand-out performers.

Let’s take a closer look at LinkedIn’s research to find out which fintechs have become the UK’s biggest break-out stars.

Monzo Bank

One of the most well-known disruptive forces to the country’s banking industry, Monzo was both the best-performing fintech and number one on LinkedIn’s entire list.

 

The good news for jobseekers is that Monzo has increased its hiring 447 per cent over the last two years, growing its global headcount to 344 people, LinkedIn’s Premium Insights data shows. The firm also celebrated its one millionth customer sign-up earlier this year, with £4 billion spent across the Monzo app so far.

Revolut

Nipping at Monzo’s heels is Revolut, which was the third most sought-after start-up on the list – sporting goods manufacturer Gymshark clinched second. While the company only broke even for the first time in December last year, it does boast more than 2.5 million users worldwide.

 

Headquartered in London, Revolut has roughly 450 staff globally and is currently adding up to 9,000 customers per day. The bank experienced rapid growth over the past two years, with LinkedIn claiming that hiring has jumped 550 per cent during that time.

ClearBank

Founded in 2014, ClearBank was the first new clearing bank established in the UK in approximately 250 years. The organisation rounded out a fintech-heavy top five in the LinkedIn list by placing fourth. The company’s hiring has leapt 277 per cent in the last two years.

 

Nick Ogden, the organisation’s founder, is something of a fintech prodigy, having already developed (and sold) several successful start-ups within the industry before setting up ClearBank. This includes WorldPay, which was purchased by Royal Bank of Scotland in 2012 and subsequently bought by Vantiv for $10.4 billion earlier this year.

The best of the rest

Fintechs don’t just dominate the top five; they are prevalent throughout LinkedIn’s most sought-after 25 list. Here is a brief round-up of other high-profile start-ups:

• Blockchain (9th): The bitcoin wallet firm has raised £70 million from investors, including Sir Richard Branson.
• GoCardless (13th): This direct debit processing company has managed more than £5 billion worth of transactions.
• Starling Bank (18th): The challenger bank has recently ramped up recruitment significantly, hiring 97 people over the last 12 months.
• 11FS (19th): Close behind Starling Bank is 11FS, which provides financial services consultancy services to fintechs and incumbents.
• CurrencyCloud (21st): Monzo, Revolut and Blockchain are just some of the businesses that use this fintech cloud payment platform.
• Tandem Money (23rd): Another challenger bank, Tandem Money picked up a banking licence in 2018 after acquiring Harrods Bank.
• 10x Banking (24th): The firm uses cloud computing, machine learning and fintech to bring traditional banks into the 21st century.

By our count, fintechs comprised 10 of the top 25 most sought-after start-ups in LinkedIn’s list.

What does this mean for jobseekers?

The LinkedIn list was created after analysing the data of 575 million users and the methodology focused on four key pillars of success:

1. Employee growth;
2. Jobseeker interest;
3. The level of professional engagement with the company and its employees; and
4. Ability to attract talent from LinkedIn’s Top Companies.

Clearly, there is a significant emphasis on recruitment factors, which indicates fintechs are becoming increasingly popular among UK jobseekers. The opportunity to work for dynamic, disruptive teams is attractive and – as the research shows – many fintechs are rapidly expanding their headcounts.

 

Start-ups within the industry require strong corporate governance people and processes to ensure their ambitious growth doesn’t come at the cost of strong regulatory compliance and effective risk management.

 

If you would like to discuss roles within the exciting fintech field, please contact me on 0207 936 8947, or via email at NE@barclaysimpson.com.

 

Our Market Reports combine our review of the prevailing conditions in the corporate governance recruitment market with the results of our latest employer survey.

Image credit: Chaiyawat via Adobe Stock