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How to Choose a Recruitment Agency for Fintech, Crypto and iGaming

How to Choose a Recruitment Agency for Fintech, Crypto and iGaming

Hirexel Blog cover: How to Choose a Recruitment Agency for Fintech, Crypto and iGaming
Last updated: 11 November 2026

Key takeaways

  • Sector focus beats size: ask how many similar roles the agency filled, in which markets and how recently.
  • Ask how the agency screens for regulatory fit, approaches passive candidates and protects confidentiality.
  • Check the guarantee, the payment triggers and the reporting before you sign.
  • Red flags: CV flooding, no questions about your licence or regulator, no sector vocabulary.
  • In the UK, agencies are restricted from charging candidates for finding them work; the employer pays.
Choosing a recruitment agency fintech, crypto or iGaming founders can trust is harder than it looks. Many agencies say they cover these sectors; fewer have filled the roles you need, under the regulator you deal with, in the market you are entering. The wrong agency costs more than its fee: months of weak shortlists, a hire who cannot pass the regulator's review, or a confidential search that becomes public.
This guide is for founders, COOs and HR leads choosing an agency for compliance, commercial, operations or senior roles. It covers what to look for, the questions to ask and the red flags.

Why a recruitment agency for fintech and crypto needs sector focus

In regulated sectors, the right candidates are often employed and not looking, and the right hire depends on knowledge that general recruiters rarely have:
  • Which licences and regulators the role involves.
  • Which roles the regulator approves, and what it checks.
  • Which products and business models the candidate has worked with.
  • Which candidates have a real network in your segment or market.
A focused agency knows the people and the vocabulary. A large generalist may know only the job boards. Ask how many similar roles the agency filled in the last two years, in which markets, and for what kinds of companies.

Questions to ask any agency

Question What a good answer sounds like What a weak answer sounds like
How many similar roles have you filled, and where? Specific roles, markets and company types, recent "We work across financial services"
How do you screen for regulatory fit? Checks experience against the regulator's criteria, asks about past regulatory issues, takes relevant references "We send you the CV and you decide"
How do you find passive candidates? Market mapping, direct approaches, a clear pitch for the role "We advertise and check our database"
How do you keep the search confidential? Controlled outreach, anonymised briefs where needed, one point of contact No clear answer
What guarantee do you give? Clear replacement or rebate terms and conditions Vague or none
What triggers payment? A defined event: accepted offer, signed contract or start date Unclear
How will you report progress? Regular updates with names approached and market feedback "We will call you when we have someone"
For how fee models differ, see Recruitment Agency Fees Explained: Contingency, Retained and Fixed Fee.

Screening for regulatory fit

For regulated roles, the agency's screening should reflect what the regulator will check: competence for your business, reputation, conflicts of interest and time commitment. Ask the agency how it handles each one before you see a CV. For what regulators assess, see Key Function Holders: What Regulators Check Before Approving a Hire.
An agency that asks about your licence, your regulator and your business model in the first conversation is screening for the right things. One that asks only about salary and start date is not.

Comparing agencies for your next hire?

Send us the job description and we will answer every question in this guide for your specific role.

Red flags

  • CV flooding. Ten CVs in two days, most of them unscreened or only loosely matched.
  • No questions about your licence or regulator. The agency treats a regulated role like any other.
  • No sector vocabulary. The recruiter cannot discuss MLROs, travel rule, PSPs, affiliates or key functions without confusion.
  • Unbriefed candidates. Candidates arrive at interview knowing little about the role or the company.
  • Fees from candidates. In the UK, section 6(1)(a) of the Employment Agencies Act 1973 restricts agencies from charging work-seekers for finding them work, with narrow exceptions for certain occupations. A recruiter who asks your candidate for money is a serious warning sign.

Choosing the search model

The right agency will also tell you which search model fits the role. Senior, regulated and confidential roles usually suit retained or exclusive search; wide-pool roles suit contingency. For the trade-offs, see Retained vs Contingency Search for Senior Roles.

Working with the agency after you sign

The best agency still needs a good client. Give it what it needs to find the right people:
  • A full brief. The role, the regulator, the business model, the team and the reasons the role is open.
  • Access to the hiring manager. A short call between the recruiter and the person the hire will report to improves every shortlist.
  • Fast, specific feedback. Why a candidate is or is not right, within a few days.
  • Honest information. Including what is difficult about the role or the company, so candidates are not surprised later.
Review the search together after the first shortlist: what the market says, whether the brief or the budget needs to change, and what the next two weeks look like.

A simple way to compare agencies

  1. Shortlist two or three agencies with sector focus.
  2. Give each the same brief and ask the questions in the table above.
  3. Ask each for a short view of the market for your role: how big the pool is, where the candidates are, and what they will expect.
  4. Compare the answers in writing, not by impression.
  5. Start with one role and judge the agency on the first shortlist before committing to more.

How Hirexel works

Hirexel is a recruitment agency for fintech, crypto, blockchain and iGaming companies. In iGaming we focus on non-tech roles: compliance, payments, affiliates, CRM, VIP, commercial and operations.
In practice that means:
  • Sector focus. Compliance, AML, risk, operations, commercial and senior roles in our four sectors, not general recruitment.
  • Regulatory screening. We check candidates against the regulator's criteria for the role before you meet them: experience in a similar business, reputation, conflicts of interest and availability.
  • Passive candidates. We approach people who are not looking, with a clear, honest pitch for the role.
  • Clear terms. We explain which search model fits each role and what triggers payment before you commit.
  • 90-day replacement guarantee. If a candidate we place doesn't work out in the first 90 days, we fill the role again free of charge.
We do not publish salary figures or prices in our articles; we discuss them for each role directly.

What we recommend

  1. Choose agencies with sector focus and recent experience in your roles and markets.
  2. Ask every agency the same questions and compare the answers in writing.
  3. Watch for the red flags in the first two weeks.
  4. Agree the search model, guarantee, payment triggers and reporting before the search starts.
  5. Judge the agency on the quality of the first shortlist, not the number of CVs.

FAQ

What should I look for in a recruitment agency for fintech or crypto?

Look for sector focus over size: how many similar roles the agency has filled, in which markets, and how recently. Then check how it screens for regulatory fit, how it approaches passive candidates, and what guarantee it gives.

Why does sector focus matter more than agency size?

In fintech, crypto and iGaming, the best candidates are often not looking, and the right hire depends on sector knowledge, such as which licences, regulators and products a role involves. A focused agency knows the people and the vocabulary; a large generalist may only know the job boards.

What questions should I ask a recruitment agency?

Ask how many similar roles they filled and where, how they screen for regulatory fit, how they find and approach passive candidates, how they protect confidentiality, what their guarantee or replacement terms are, what triggers payment, and how they report progress.

What are red flags when choosing a recruitment agency?

CV flooding, where the agency sends many unscreened CVs; no questions about your licence, regulator or business model; no sector vocabulary; and candidates who were clearly not briefed on the role. Another red flag is a recruiter who asks candidates to pay a fee.

Can a recruitment agency charge candidates in the UK?

In general, no. Section 6(1)(a) of the Employment Agencies Act 1973 restricts agencies from charging work-seekers fees for finding them work, with narrow exceptions for certain occupations. For permanent hires in fintech, crypto and iGaming, the employer pays the agency.

How does Hirexel work?

Hirexel is a recruitment agency focused on fintech, crypto, blockchain and iGaming, with iGaming limited to non-tech roles such as compliance, payments, affiliates, CRM, VIP, commercial and operations. It screens candidates for regulatory fit and sector knowledge before introducing them.

The bottom line

The right recruitment agency fintech, crypto or iGaming employers should choose is one that knows the sector, screens for regulatory fit, reaches passive candidates and is clear about terms. Ask the questions in this guide, and judge the answers. Hirexel recruits for fintech, crypto, blockchain and iGaming companies; ask us these questions about your next role.

Want to see how we would run your search?

Book a call and ask us the questions from this guide about your role.

Sources

  1. Employment Agencies Act 1973, section 6: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1973/35/section/6
  2. The Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003, regulation 26: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/3319/regulation/26

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