Company description
We are a UK-licensed Electronic Money Institution (EMI), building modern financial
infrastructure across accounts, payments, cards, FX, and analytics.
The Role
We are looking for a Finance Controller to take ownership of our finance function and support the company through its next growth stage.
This is a strategic yet hands-on role where you will own the financial backbone of the business - ensuring clean, audit-ready numbers, strong internal controls, and reliable reporting across all key areas (month-end close, reconciliations, regulatory reporting, budgeting and forecasting). You will help build a scalable finance function aligned with the expectations of a regulated fintech/EMI environment.
Given our rapid expansion, this role will require a proactive, commercially minded finance leader who is comfortable with the complexities of safeguarding, capital adequacy, multi-entity group structures, cashflow management, statutory audits and building internal financial processes. With a lean finance team in the early stages, this role will be very much “hands-on” - from reconciliations and management accounts to designing financial processes and liaising with external accountants, auditors, and regulators.
The successful candidate will be both strategic and hands-on: capable of designing, implementing, and scaling finance processes and procedures from the ground up, while also executing day-to-day responsibilities with precision. As volumes grow, you will build and lead a finance team to support sustainable growth, regulatory excellence, and investor confidence.
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced qualified accountant (ACA/ACCA/CIMA) who thrives in a fast-paced, high-growth, and highly regulated environment.
Key Responsibilities
Processes and procedures
· Define and deliver the workflows, including service pricings across product lines (cards, accounts, acquiring, FX).
· Ensure effective management of regulatory capital, safeguarding arrangements, liquidity, and treasury operations.
· Lead financial planning, budgets, cashflow forecasting, and scenario modelling across group entities.
· Build and scale the future finance function (accountants, treasury specialists, controllers, analysts).
Financial Management & Reporting
· Oversee all aspects of financial management, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and efficiency.
· Produce and review monthly management accounts, P&L, balance sheet reconciliations, and cashflow statements.
· Ensure compliance with UK GAAP/IFRS, FCA returns, HMRC obligations, VAT, and corporation tax.
· Lead statutory and FCA reporting cycles.
· Manage the annual audit process, preparing all necessary documentation and liaising with auditors.
· Conduct reconciliations (bank, safeguarding, card schemes) and ensure timely resolution of variances.
· Design and maintain a strong internal control environment to prevent errors and fraud.
· Financial Planning, Business Partnering & M&A
· Provide timely financial insights to senior management to support decision-making.
· Prepare budgets, forecasts, and variance analysis with actionable recommendations.
· Partner with compliance, risk, operations, and commercial teams to optimise performance and support sustainable growth.
Systems, Processes & Treasury
· Lead the optimisation and automation of financial processes to improve efficiency and accuracy.
· Act as the key finance lead for accounting systems (Xero, QuickBooks), with roadmap to ERP implementation.
· Implement automated integrations between payment systems, accounting, and reporting tools.
· Manage daily safeguarding reconciliations, treasury movements, and liquidity planning.
· Ensure payroll, pensions, employee loan deductions, and HMRC submissions are completed accurately and on time.
Audit, Compliance & Risk Management
· Ensure full compliance with FCA requirements (PSRs, EMRs, safeguarding, capital adequacy).
· Lead risk management and financial governance across the group.
· Conduct regular internal audits of financial processes and systems for accuracy and compliance.
· Liaise with regulators and auditors to demonstrate ongoing compliance and financial resilience.
Leadership & Team Development
· Support and mentor junior finance staff, fostering a culture of high standards and continuous development.
· Work collaboratively across departments to embed financial discipline into all business operations.
Requirements
Must Have
* Experience in fintech, payments, EMI or regulated financial services
* Strong understanding of safeguarding and reconciliations
* Experience with multi-entity finance operations
* Hands-on experience with Xero or similar accounting systems
* Experience preparing management accounts and working with audits
* Ability to operate independently in a fast-growing environment
Nice to Have
* FCA / EMI regulatory reporting experience
* ACA / ACCA / CIMA qualification
* Experience building finance processes from scratch
* Exposure to Estonia or international group structures
* ERP implementation experience
What We Offer
· A unique opportunity to join a high-growth fintech at a senior leadership level.
· Ownership of the finance agenda, with the autonomy to design and build a best-in-class finance function from scratch.
· Competitive compensation package with potential long-term incentives. Benefits: company pension, paid sick leave, work from home possibility
· A dynamic, innovative, and collaborative environment where finance is central to growth, governance, and regulatory excellence.