Malaysia’s non-bank financial sector is expanding at a pace that its talent pool is struggling to match. With fintech investment accelerating, digital banks now live, and a wave of regulatory mandates reshaping how institutions operate, the competition for the right people has never been more intense, or more consequential for companies that move too slowly.

The headline numbers tell a familiar story with a new urgency. Hiring turned positive across BFSI in March 2026 (+3%), but that recovery is narrow – concentrated in compliance, RegTech, and fintech product roles. Broad-based IT hiring has contracted. Employers who benchmark salaries annually are already behind.

4 things to know going into H2 2026

  1. Compliance and risk are the floor, not the ceiling. AML/CFT, RegTech, and BNM RMiT obligations are sustaining demand even as overall IT headcount contracts. These roles are the most resilient hiring function across NBFI in 2026.
  2. Two catalysts will open fresh pipelines in Q3. DITO operators going live and BNM’s Open Finance pilot via PayNet are expected to drive targeted hiring in actuarial tech, API engineering, and digital product roles through to year-end.
  3. The job-mover premium is real – and large. Candidates switching employers are commanding a 25–40% uplift on their current package. Retention strategies built on annual increment cycles alone are insufficient in this market.
  4. Speed is the hiring differentiator. With counter-offers frequent and the candidate pool thin, NBFI firms that take longer than 2–3 weeks to close are consistently losing preferred candidates to faster-moving competitors.

To discuss how HRnetOne Malaysia can support your workforce agenda in the NBFI sector, reach out to our team directly.

Nigel Thong | Business Leader | nigel.thong@hrnetone.com

Carmen Cha | Senior Consultant | carmen.cha@hrnetone.com