2026 UK Boutique Financial Services Salary Guide
Free. Instant access. Built for FCA-authorised boutiques.
- Benchmark base, bonus and total comp for leadership, revenue, risk and ops roles
- Sense-check your packages before going to market or running a pay review
- Walk into offers and board discussions with current, credible numbers
- Benchmark base, bonus and total comp for leadership, revenue, risk and ops roles
- Sense-check your packages before going to market or running a pay review
- Walk into offers and board discussions with current, credible numbers
Trusted by boutique financial services firms
Who should download this
This guide is for you if:
- 1You're a founder or managing partner of a UK financial services boutique
- 2You lead People, HR or Operations in a 5–50 person FCA‑authorised firm
- 3You expect to hire 1–10 people in the next 12 months and want offers that land cleanly
If you're guessing at numbers, losing candidates late, or worried your structure has drifted away from the market, this will help.
Get the 2026 salary guide →What you'll find inside
Salary bands by role & function
Salary bands for leadership, revenue-generating, risk and operations roles in UK boutiques — base, bonus and total comp in one place.
Breakdowns by firm size
Where the data supports it, ranges are broken down by firm size and business type so you can benchmark accurately for your firm.
Incentive structures
How boutiques are combining salary, bonus and longer-term incentives to win senior talent in a competitive market.
2026 market commentary
Plain-English commentary on the main forces shaping compensation in 2026 — regulation, consolidation and talent supply.
Why this matters in 2026
The UK boutique financial services market is under more pressure than it has been in years. Regulatory demands from the FCA are raising the cost of compliance headcount. Consolidation is shrinking the pool of mid-size firms while creating new senior roles at the firms that survive. And candidates — particularly at senior levels — now have more options than at any point in the last decade.
Against that backdrop, compensation has become a sharper differentiator. Boutiques that get their packages right are closing offers cleanly. Those that rely on outdated benchmarks or gut feel are losing candidates at the final stage — often to firms they didn't expect to be competing with.
The data in this guide is drawn from live searches and market conversations in 2025 and early 2026. It reflects what candidates are actually accepting, not what job boards are advertising.
Who put this together
Liam Edwards
Founder, Edwards Recruitment
Edwards Recruitment is a specialist recruitment partner to UK financial services boutiques. We place leadership, revenue-generating, risk, compliance and operations professionals into investment managers, wealth advisers, lending businesses and advisory firms — typically those with between 5 and 50 people.
The data in this guide is based on recent searches we have completed and live market conversations with candidates and hiring managers across the sector. It is not scraped from job boards or self-reported surveys. It reflects what people are actually accepting.
Book a Hiring Roadmap Session
A 30-minute, no-pitch call with Liam to turn this data into a concrete hiring plan — role-by-role salary structure, market benchmarks, and a clear plan for the next 12 months.
- 30 minutes — no pitch, no obligation
- Role-by-role salary structure built for your firm
- Live market comparison against what candidates are accepting
Or reply "Roadmap" to any email after downloading the guide.
Free Resource · 2026 Edition
Get your copy of the 2026 UK Boutique Financial Services Salary Guide
Current compensation data for 30+ roles across leadership, revenue, risk and operations. Free. Instant access. Built for FCA-authorised boutiques.