Banking as a service lets non-bank brands plug regulated banking features into their own products. That changes who carries the compliance burden and who has to prove it. As those partnerships spread, the demand shifts towards more senior, better-qualified people. In the Financial Services sector, recruitment was generally for Regulatory Qualification Framework (RQF) 6+ roles rather than RQF 3 to 5 roles, according to the GOV.UK Temporary Shortage List: Stage 2 report (2026).
In plain terms, RQF 6+ sits at degree level and above. So the roles firms are reaching for are not entry-level administrators. They want people who can read regulation, design controls and sign things off. That tells you the compliance brief is getting broader and more demanding at the same time.
When a fintech or a retail brand embeds banking features, someone still has to own anti-money-laundering checks, financial crime monitoring, consumer duty and reporting. Those duties do not disappear into the platform. They multiply across every partner in the chain, which is exactly why hiring skews towards the senior, better-qualified roles that the GOV.UK Temporary Shortage List: Stage 2 report (2026) describes as RQF 6+ in Financial Services.
Three dynamics stand out. First, compliance is now a design question, not just a check at the end, so firms want people who can build controls into a product. Second, oversight of third parties is a role in itself, because the regulated entity stays accountable for what its partners do. Third, the skills are harder to find, so hiring well is as much about reach as it is about judgement.
Start with the brief, not the job title. Write down the regulatory exposure the role actually covers, then match people to that. Given the pull towards RQF 6+ roles in Financial Services that the GOV.UK Temporary Shortage List: Stage 2 report (2026) highlights, screen for the ability to interpret rules and apply them, not just to tick a checklist.
The last point matters most. When the shortage is at the senior end, speed and reach decide who you get. The firms that win are the ones that find the right person fast and keep the process tight from first contact to offer.
This is where we help. We search a database of 15 million candidates to surface people who match a widened compliance brief, then we manage the hire end to end. Our recruitment agent manages recruitment end to end for 8% on a successful hire, with no monthly fee and no upfront cost. Ready to fill a compliance role? Tell us the brief with Reed.ai and we will get to work.
