Sector Practices
Payments Executive Search in London
Leadership hires for UK payment and e-money institutions
Phoenix Search runs retained executive search for payment institutions, e-money institutions and fintech firms hiring senior leaders in London and across the UK. We hire the executives who hold an FCA authorised business together: chief executives, compliance and risk leaders, finance heads, safeguarding owners and the commercial leaders who scale the business.
London holds the deepest pool of payments leadership talent in Europe, spread across fintechs, card schemes, acquirers and banks. It is also the most contested. The leaders most in demand combine regulatory depth with commercial judgement, they usually have options, and they will ask hard questions about the regulator’s view of your firm before they engage.
Why the UK payments brief has changed
UK payment and e-money institutions sit outside the Senior Managers and Certification Regime that applies to banks, insurers and investment firms. The FCA still assesses the directors and the people responsible for managing the business at authorisation and when they change, and it expects them to be fit and proper. The approval step is rarely the hard part. The expectations behind it are.
- Safeguarding is now a leadership responsibility. The FCA’s new safeguarding rules (PS25/12) took effect on 7 May 2026, with daily reconciliations, monthly reporting, resolution packs and annual audits.
- Fraud liability has moved onto the provider. The UK’s mandatory reimbursement regime for authorised push payment fraud has applied since October 2024.
- The Consumer Duty needs a senior owner who can evidence control to the regulator.
- The regulatory map is being redrawn. The UK is folding the Payment Systems Regulator into the FCA.
Firms that once treated finance, safeguarding and compliance as one combined role are now separating them.
How we run a London payments search
We map the regulated market. We look at who has run an authorised payment or e-money business, who has taken a firm through authorisation and who is likely to move, so the shortlist reflects people who have done the job, not just held the title.
We assess for regulatory credibility. Candidates are tested against the fitness and propriety the FCA expects before they reach your shortlist, and we build any approval steps into the timetable.
We understand the commercial model. Payments businesses live on volume, partnerships and unit economics. We hire leaders who understand the numbers as well as the rulebook.
We plan around notice periods. Notice periods for senior roles are commonly three to six months. We start the conversation about timing early, so an accepted offer becomes a realistic start date.
Payments roles we search for in London
- Chief executives and Country Heads of authorised payment and e-money institutions
- Heads of Compliance, MLROs and Chief Risk Officers
- CFOs and Heads of Finance, with capital, safeguarding and regulatory reporting experience
- Heads of Safeguarding, now a role in its own right in Ireland and increasingly in the UK
- COOs and Heads of Payment Operations
- Chief technology and information security leads with operational resilience experience
- Chief Commercial Officers, Heads of Partnerships and Business Development leaders
- Independent non-executive directors and chairs for regulated boards
London, Dublin and the US
We search across Ireland, the UK and the US, so a London shortlist can be tested against the wider market. UK payments leaders are increasingly open to EU roles based in Dublin (see payments executive search in Dublin), and we often work with firms building leadership teams across more than one of these markets. See our payments and fintech executive search practice, our risk and compliance practice and our board appointments work.
Frequently asked questions
Do payment and e-money institutions fall under the Senior Managers Regime?
No. UK payment and e-money institutions sit outside the Senior Managers and Certification Regime. The FCA still assesses directors and the people responsible for managing the business, at authorisation and when they change, and expects them to be fit and proper.
Do you recruit Heads of Safeguarding?
Yes. With the FCA’s safeguarding rules in force since 7 May 2026, firms that once combined finance, safeguarding and compliance in one role are separating them. We search for safeguarding leaders with reconciliation, reporting and audit experience.
Can you help a firm entering the UK or applying for FCA authorisation?
Yes. Applicants need credible directors and managers in place for authorisation. We help firms identify and secure those leaders early in the process.
Do you hire for Dublin and the US as well as London?
Yes. We search across Ireland, the UK and the US, including for US firms hiring their first Irish leadership team.
Do you recruit non-executive directors for payments boards?
Yes. We search for independent non-executive directors and chairs with payments, risk, audit and regulatory experience.
