Building High-Performing FinTech Teams in a Booming Market: Insights from Alexandre Pinot

Latvia is currently experiencing an unprecedented FinTech boom, closely mirroring the massive growth and influx of foreign investment that Lithuania saw back around 2016. As international companies rush to the Baltics to secure financial institution licenses, the competition for highly specialized talent, particularly in compliance, risk management, and Money Laundering Reporting Officers (MLROs), is rapidly turning into a severe talent shortage.

To understand how companies can navigate this challenge, Dana Kocane, CEO and Founder of Tech Recruitment, recently sat down with Alexandree Pinot for an insightful conversation. With over 15 years of experience covering everything from global giants like Western Union to dynamic startups, Alexandre is Co-founder at AMLYZE, a RegTech company supporting banks and FinTechs in optimizing their fight against financial crime.

Here are Alexandre’s top strategies for building, scaling, and retaining high-performing FinTech teams, in his own words.

Rethink the "Perfect" Candidate and Invest in Training

When demand for specialized risk management and regulatory roles outpaces supply, fighting over a small pool of senior talent quickly becomes a bottleneck. Alexandre notes that companies must adapt and use educational resources as an example of their commitment to employee growth.

He advises leaders to "not be shy and greedy on training your staff.". Instead of waiting for the perfect resume, he suggests: "maybe take a bit of risk in hiring a profile that is a bit junior or maybe that is shortly after university but put what it takes in terms of training and personal development". By leveraging existing educational resources, companies can build a custom-trained talent pipeline: "There are now many certifications, many recognized academic paths that allow to train people in-house so I think that is something which is really important not only when you hire the people but also all through their professional life".

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Hire for Soft Skills and Cultural Connection

If you asked Alexandre 15 years ago what mattered most in a hire, he would have strictly prioritized technical skills, but today, his philosophy has changed.

"You can train, you can bring the level of competencies up for someone that is willing to learn and evolve," Alexandre explains. "Now it can be very tricky and challenging to actually have any kind of teamwork with a very good technician [if] he or she is not willing to.". During interviews, he focuses heavily on human connection, often asking himself: "could I have a beer with this girl or this guy outside of the work? And could we have a random chat and be cool with it? Or what's the vibe with this person?".

Transform Compliance from a Blockade to a Strategic Partner

A common mistake in FinTech is bringing the risk and compliance teams into the product development process at the very last minute, which often leads to frustration.

Instead, Alexandre urges companies to "involve the people from the very beginning of the designing of the product, not just before launching". When compliance experts help shape processes, they embed regulatory requirements with the inner design of the products, thus finding ways to meet strict regulations while enabling business growth. He points to industry leaders like Revolut and N26 as prime examples: "Why is the onboarding so fast? Why is it so smooth? Why is there so little friction? ... It's because you have had people, including compliance people, that have thought about how it works and how to make it as smooth and customer-friendly as possible, from the get go.".

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Redefine Retention: Autonomy, Flexibility, and Shared Success

In a highly competitive market, candidates might jump ship every six months for a 25% salary bump. To break this cycle, Alexandre highlights three critical elements for long-term retention:

• Trust and Autonomy: "The best way to show them that you trust them is to tell them, okay, all right, that's where we want to be. you do it the way you want," Alexandre says. Claiming you are a "family" means nothing if you micromanage.
• True Flexibility: Companies should "let the people adapt to their way of working and respecting that," whether they prefer working early in the morning or late at night, peak performance looks very different for each of us.
• Shared Financial Success: "If the company performs, you know you will benefit from the performance of the company," he notes. "Yes, stock option. ... It incentivizes your team. So that's something which really shows, more than just saying, the people you work with that you care.".

Leverage the Appeal of the "Unknown" Brand

For foreign companies entering Latvia, building an employer brand from scratch can seem daunting when candidates usually lean toward established corporate brands. However, Alexandre points out that startups have a unique advantage.

"There is also something sexy and appealing in the unknown," he explains. "You know, if you work for a large bank, and a new fintech company proposes you a job, and offers you a broad scope of responsibilities, and basically gives you the opportunity to manage a department, to hire a team, to select your tools, this is pretty exciting.". Companies should lean into this autonomy as their ultimate selling point.

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Ready to Scale Your Tech Team?

As the Baltic FinTech ecosystem continues to rapidly expand, securing top-tier technical and regulatory talent requires more than just posting a job ad, it requires a strategic partner who understands market nuances and what truly motivates A-players.

At Tech Recruitment, we bring over a decade of experience sourcing and hiring exceptional professionals across 26 countries. From C-suite executives and visionary CTOs to specialized MLROs and developers, our human-centered approach connects you with the exact right talent to ensure your business grows sustainably.

‍Contact Tech Recruitment today to start building a high-performing tech team that drives your business forward: info@techrecruitment.io