As the Gulf pivots away from oil dependency, technology, and particularly, fintech recruitment is taking centre stage. The numbers tell a powerful story. Abu Dhabi posted 6.4% non-oil GDP growth in H1 2025. Qatar and Saudi Arabia followed closely with 5.3% and 4.2% respectively. These figures highlight a deepening commitment to long-term economic diversification and technology recruitment is at its heart.
Across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), governments are aggressively investing in digital infrastructure, financial technology, and innovation ecosystems. This has created a surge in demand for top-tier professionals for a wide variety of fintech jobs and digital product roles.
The State of Tech and Fintech Recruitment
Financial technology hiring across the Gulf is in overdrive. Roles in software engineering, product development, data science, and cybersecurity are in constant demand. So too are positions in digital risk, compliance automation, and AI-driven platforms.
Fintech net revenue across MENA is expected to grow at 35% annually until 2028 (compared to a global average of 15%) and fintech jobs are becoming critical for financial inclusion, digital banking, regulatory technology (RegTech), and sovereign fund innovation.
Other tech sectors are also expanding. Data centre capacity in the GCC expected to triple by 2030 and investment in Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reaching record highs with four of the six GCC countries investing between $10b and $100b in AI capability.
This is reflected at an organisational level. 84% of GCC organisations have adopted AI in at least one business function with the most common use cases being operations, product development and sales and marketing. For fintech, AI will be crucial in driving smarter risk management, enhancing customer experiences, and enabling real-time, data-led decision-making at scale.
Hiring Pressures and Why Talent is Scarce
At Aventus, we’re seeing unprecedented demand for talent capable of bridging the gap between innovation and regulation. From Chief Digital Officers at leading regional banks to front office technologists within sovereign wealth funds, tech talent recruitment is driving strategic value creation.
The key challenge? Supply isn’t keeping up with demand.
The GCC’s rapid digital expansion has exposed a significant talent gap. This is especially acute in:
- Bilingual fintech and tech professionals
- National talent with niche digital skillsets
- Regional experience alongside tech expertise This scarcity makes fintech recruitment particularly competitive. As more organisations launch or scale digital offerings, hiring strategies must evolve to meet this challenge.
How to Meet Fintech Recruitment Demand
Fintech recruitment across the GCC is increasingly competitive and finding talent that understands the regulatory, cultural, and commercial context of the region can be complex. To stay ahead, hiring managers and business leaders must rethink how they approach tech talent recruitment.
Here are five proven strategies:
- Build Talent Pipelines Before You Need Them
Don’t wait for a resignation or a project launch. Proactive market mapping and pipelining allow you to engage talent early and build long-term interest. Critical for tech and fintech where professionals may not be actively job-seeking.
How to achieve it:
- Run regular market scans for key roles, even if not actively hiring
- Create ‘always-on’ networking campaigns on LinkedIn and at industry events to nurture relationships with future candidates
- Use workforce planning tools to anticipate where digital and fintech capability will be needed over the next 12–24 months
- Prioritise Regional Experience
Look for talent that not only understands technology but also speaks the language, both literally and culturally. Candidates fluent in Arabic and English, with experience navigating GCC regulatory frameworks, deliver smoother stakeholder engagement and faster time to impact.
How to achieve it:
- Refine job descriptions to highlight the importance of local market experience and bilingual capabilities
- Engage search partners who have a proven track record of placing GCC nationals or expats with regional experience
- Conduct cultural fit interviews to assess alignment with local regulatory and business norms
- Explore Alternative Hiring Models
Consider contract-to-hire, project-based hiring, or interim appointments to address immediate skills gaps while maintaining agility. This can give you access to key capabilities without long-term commitment, ideal for fast-moving fintech and digital transformation projects.
How to achieve it:
- Pilot contract-to-hire models where you bring in top talent on an initial contract with the option to convert
- Use interim experts to lead urgent transformation projects or to cover for key skill gaps during maternity leave or notice periods
- Work with firms like Aventus who can provide both permanent and project-based fintech recruitment under one roof
- Align Hiring with National Goals
Fintech recruitment should be viewed through the lens of nationalisation policies such as Saudi Vision 2030 and broader economic diversification strategies. Talent that supports these ambitions is more likely to be supported internally and funded sustainably.
How to achieve it:
- Prioritise national talent by actively targeting Saudi, Emirati, Qatari, Omani, and Bahraini professionals for key tech roles
- Integrate nationalisation objectives into role briefs, particularly for AI and digital transformation roles
- Use data-driven assessments to ensure hires meet both competency and policy-alignment goals
- Invest in a Specialist Search Partner
Connect with a recruiter who specialises in tech hiring within financial services and who understand the regulatory nuances across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and wider Gulf markets. This accelerates the search and sharpens candidate quality.
How to achieve it:
- Select a search firm with sector-specific expertise in fintech and digital banking, not just generalist tech recruiters
- Request market mapping and benchmarking exercises to understand where your talent gaps sit relative to competitors
- Use retained search for senior or critical roles to ensure depth, confidentiality, and commitment
Connect With A Strategic Recruitment Partner
With over 15 years of experience in technology recruitment and deep regional expertise, Aventus is uniquely positioned to support your workforce strategy. Our tech talent recruitment consultants combine sector specialisation with local insight. Whether you're a government entity launching a sovereign digital fund, or a fintech scaling across borders, Aventus can deliver the candidates who shape outcomes.
We’ve completed 300+ mandates globally across:
- Digital banking
- Cybersecurity and infrastructure
- Fintech leadership
- Compliance and RegTech
- Product and data roles
Fintech recruitment across the GCC is critical to the success of the region’s economic future. Don’t let talent gaps hold your business back.
Partner with Aventus and access the region’s leading network of fintech and tech talent. Contact us today to discuss your hiring strategy.