The neobanks stopped hiring. The crypto apps didn't.
Our job board reads every open role straight from the careers systems of the companies we track, every day, and commits the result to a public repository. That gives it a memory. Comparing the board on 15 August with the board on 2 November, using only the 60 employers whose boards we tracked continuously through both dates, gives a rough hiring index.
| Open roles, same 60 employers | 15 Aug | 2 Nov | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 3,579 | 3,843 | +264 (+7%) |
| Crypto-native employers | 1,024 | 1,301 | +277 (+27%) |
| Fiat employers | 2,555 | 2,542 | −13 (flat) |
All of the net growth, and slightly more, came from the crypto side. That side means the hybrid and web3-native neobanks plus the exchanges and wallets on the board, such as Coinbase, OKX, Bybit and Kraken. Fiat neobanks and fintechs posted about as many roles in November as they did in August. The industry is not shrinking, but the growth is no longer where most of the coverage looks.
Who moved
| Biggest gains | Aug → Nov | Biggest drops | Aug → Nov |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coinbase | 167 → 268 | N26 | 79 → 29 |
| Crypto.com | 26 → 99 | Neo Financial | 96 → 63 |
| OKX | 327 → 381 | Brex | 293 → 263 |
| Ramp | 136 → 173 | Monzo | 82 → 63 |
| Robinhood | 124 → 160 | C6 Bank | 167 → 154 |
| Starling Bank | 83 → 118 | Banco Inter | 155 → 142 |
The fiat names on the left show it is not a clean split. Ramp, Starling and Moniepoint (121 → 150) all grew. They were offset almost exactly by cuts elsewhere, the sharpest at N26, which now lists just over a third of the open roles it did in August.
What they're hiring for
| Function | 15 Aug | 2 Nov | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product | 202 | 259 | +28% |
| Compliance | 300 | 356 | +19% |
| Engineering | 1,162 | 1,273 | +10% |
| Sales | 398 | 404 | +2% |
| Data | 212 | 197 | −7% |
Compliance is the signal worth reading twice. It grew almost three times as fast as the board overall, and it grew at fiat employers too (210 → 237, +13%) even though their total didn't move. When a company holds its headcount flat but adds compliance staff, it is usually preparing for a licence, an examination or a market entry. In a year when several neobanks are changing sponsor banks and others are applying to become banks themselves, that fits.
Where
Asia was the fastest-growing region, from 461 to 589 roles (+28%), mostly on crypto employers: Coinbase went from 3 Asia-based roles to 39, Crypto.com from 9 to 45, OKX from 228 to 264. Remote roles rose 12% (864 → 965) and now make up a quarter of the board. Latin America fell 10% (265 → 238), led by C6 Bank and Wise's Latin American teams.
How to read this
- Postings are not hires. A role can stay open for months, be reposted, or be filled internally. This measures intent, not headcount.
- Same employers only. Boards we added or lost during the period are excluded, so the comparison isn't flattered by coverage changes.
- Boards swing. A single company reorganising its careers page can move its count by dozens overnight. The direction of the totals is more reliable than any one company's number.
Today the board lists 3,947 roles from 62 employers. One in nine (443) shows a salary, and 61 offer visa sponsorship. The full history is in the repository, one commit a day, if you want to run your own cut.