Financial Services and Fintech

HR & Payroll Solutions for Financial Services and Fintech 

Financial services and fintech businesses operate where regulation, governance, and commercial pressure intersect. Roles are often regulated or sensitive, remuneration structures go beyond simple salary and bonus, and group operations span multiple entities and jurisdictions. HR and payroll decisions therefore carry regulatory, tax, and reputational consequences. 

At EMCS, we help financial institutions, investment firms, payment providers, and fintech align HR and payroll frameworks with governance and growth. Our focus is to connect regulatory expectations, internal policies, and day-to-day HR practices into a coherent, compliant structure. 

Key HR & Payroll Challenges in Financial Services and Fintech 

• Aligning regulatory expectations on fitness, propriety, and governance with contracts and HR policies 
• Defining and documenting control and risk roles (compliance, MLRO, risk, internal audit) 
• Managing variable remuneration (bonuses, deferrals, carried interest, profit sharing, LTIPs) in line with guidelines 
• Coordinating HR processes with AML, sanctions, conduct, and whistleblowing frameworks 
• Handling cross-border teams, secondments, and dual-hat roles with multi-jurisdiction payroll obligations 
• Maintaining compliance with working time and leave rules in high-intensity environments 
• Updating HR documentation during licence migrations, restructurings, or new product launches 
• Integrating contractors and outsourced functions into governance and risk frameworks 
• Running background checks and ongoing screening while respecting employment law and data protection 
• Protecting confidential and price-sensitive information throughout HR processes 

How we support financial services and fintech clients 

• Reviewing HR structures, contracts, job descriptions, and core policies against Maltese employment law and regulatory expectations. 

• Helping define and document responsibilities and reporting lines for key roles, including control, risk, and other regulated or sensitive functions. 

• Advising on the structure and treatment of bonuses, deferrals, profit sharing, and other variable pay from a contractual and payroll perspective. 

• Supporting cross border employment and international payroll arrangements within groups, including when staff are based in or outside Malta. 

• Assisting with HR documentation for restructurings, new entities, licence migrations, or changes in business model. 

• Drafting or refining disciplinary, investigation, and whistleblowing procedures suited to regulated environments. 

• Coordinating with legal, tax, and compliance advisers so HR decisions fit into the wider governance and risk framework. 

• Providing ongoing HR and payroll advisory support when the organisation, product set, or regulatory landscape changes.