MLRO salary · base pay by sector and seniority, 2026

What an MLRO earns, by sector, firm and seniority

An MLRO salary in 2026 depends on the firm more than the title.

In London, Morgan McKinley puts it at £90,000–£120,000 with up to three years’ experience and £150,000–£300,000 with five or more.

Robert Walters puts an MLRO at a fintech or payments firm at £90,000–£130,000, with an average of £110,000, and one at a large investment bank at £170,000–£260,000+.

At a small FCA-regulated firm, where one person holds the MLRO role and runs compliance, FD Capital puts the combined seat at £55,000–£75,000.

When you hire an MLRO through us, we send a shortlist of 3–5, each with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.

Brief us on an MLRO hire →See the roles

How a brief runswhat we undertake

01Brief30-MINUTE SCOPING CALLDay 0
02Shortlist of 3–5VETTED · RATE BENCHMARK · IR35After the brief
03InterviewsYOU MEET THE SHORTLISTYour diary
04Scoped startFIRST-MONTH OUTCOMES AGREEDYou set the date
05Fractional, interim and permanentIR35 POSITION SET OUTOn every brief

Shortlist3–5

£90,000–£300,000

MLRO salary, London · from 0–3 years’ experience to 5+ years

Morgan McKinley, 2026

£110,000

Fintech and payments, London · average; range £90,000–£130,000

Robert Walters, 2026

£55,000–£75,000

Small firm, MLRO and compliance · combined Head of Compliance and MLRO

FD Capital, 2026

3–5

Shortlist · with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 set out

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Tell us the scope and the days a week. We come back with MLRO candidates, their day rates and availability.

0115 minutes, video or phone
02We scope the role and the days a week
03A shortlist of 3–5 after the call
04Fractional, interim and permanent briefs

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On the board · last 3 months

MLRO roles jobs on the board

0 MLRO roles · 1 compliance and legal

No MLRO roles roles on the board in the last three months. Showing compliance and legal roles instead.

FractionalSyndicated
Fractional General Counsel
Ffern · London
est £1,000/day1 d/wk

Browse every role on the board →

MLRO roles on the board

Fractional Quest is a fractional recruitment agency: send a MLRO brief and we come back with a shortlist of three to five vetted candidates.

01/ the role

What an MLRO does, and what sets the pay

A money laundering reporting officer receives suspicious activity reports from staff and decides which to pass to the National Crime Agency.

Under the FCA’s SYSC 6.3 rules, a regulated firm must appoint an MLRO, and the MLRO reports to the board and senior management at least once a year on the firm’s anti-money laundering systems and controls.

For the full remit, see what an MLRO does.

The seat carries personal risk.

In an FCA firm under the Senior Managers and Certification Regime it is the SMF17 money laundering reporting function, so the holder needs FCA approval before taking it up.

The Money Laundering Regulations 2017 require a nominated officer, and the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 makes it an offence for that officer to fail to disclose.

Businesses outside the FCA’s remit can be covered by the Regulations too; GOV.UK sets out who needs to register for money laundering supervision.

The type of firm sets the pay first.

FD Capital puts a consumer credit or retail lending MLRO at £70,000–£120,000, a payment institution or e-money firm at £80,000–£140,000, a mid-size bank or building society at £120,000–£200,000, and an investment bank or Tier 1 institution at £200,000–£350,000+.

Robert Walters’ London bands run the same way, from £90,000–£130,000 at a fintech to £170,000–£260,000+ at a large investment bank.

Whether the role is standalone comes next.

At a small firm the MLRO often runs compliance as well, and FD Capital says the benchmark is then the pay for the combined role.

Prior SMF17 approval also commands a premium, FD Capital adds, because it removes the approval delay for the hiring firm.

02/ scope

How to set the pay when you hire an MLRO

1. Decide whether the seat stands alone

A standalone MLRO at a bank is a different hire from a head of compliance who also holds SMF17 at a small lender.

Write down what the role owns: SAR decisions only, or the AML framework, sanctions, the team and the annual report as well.

2. Match the sector to your permissions

Payments, wealth, banking, insurance and crypto each carry their own money laundering risks.

FD Capital says sector experience in a higher-risk sector commands a premium over general AML experience.

Price the seat against your own sector, not the market as a whole.

3. Plan for FCA approval

FD Capital says SMF17 approval typically takes three to six months from application.

A candidate who already holds approval elsewhere shortens the risk, and costs more.

Plan cover for the gap.

4. Choose the route

A permanent appointment suits a firm whose SAR volumes and risk need an MLRO every day.

If the work fits into a day or two a week, see the fractional MLRO route.

If the seat is empty and needs cover now, see interim MLRO salary for what that costs by the day.

What we do on a compliance brief

We recruit permanent, fractional, interim, part-time and temporary compliance leaders, and non-executive directors.

We send a shortlist of 3–5, each with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 position set out, and every candidate goes through our five-stage vetting first.

Roles on the board are listed on MLRO jobs.

03/ the board

What the board holds.

A read of the roles on the board on this page, counted as they stand: how each is engaged, whether the posting gives the days and the rate, and where the work happens.

On this board, last 90 days · 1 role · compliance and legal

Engagement

Fractional1

Days a week

Stated in the posting1
Not stated0

Day rate

Verified rate0
Estimated (est)1
Rate not stated0

Work arrangement (as the job feed classifies it)

Remote0
Hybrid1
On-site0

Newest posting on the board: 3 Oct 2026.

04/ the route

Fractional, interim or permanent?

Four taps. The answer names the route for the seat and the page that covers it.

How much of the week does the work fill?

Is there a fixed end or a programme?

Does the seat sit on the board for years?

Is the need now, or can it wait for a search?

The route · Fractional

A fractional MLRO.

The work fills part of the week, so buy the days it needs.

A fractional MLRO holds the seat on agreed days for as long as the seat is needed, and works for other clients on the rest.

The fractional MLRO route Talk it through

05/ rates by stage

MLRO salary by source, sector and region

Permanent MLRO pay as each publisher states it, all 2026. Robert Walters’ figures come from advertised roles, with its average the mean of those roles; Morgan McKinley bands by years of experience; Barclay Simpson and FD Capital band by sector. Barclay Simpson’s title is the combined Head of Financial Crime / MLRO. All four publishers are recruiters.

SeatPayBasisSource

MLRO, London, 0–3 years£90,000–£120,000Permanent salary, by years of experienceMorgan McKinley, 2026

MLRO, London, 3–5 years£120,000–£150,000Permanent salary, by years of experienceMorgan McKinley, 2026

MLRO, London, 5+ years£150,000–£300,000Permanent salary, by years of experienceMorgan McKinley, 2026

MLRO, fintech and payments, London£90,000–£130,000, average £110,000Basic salary of advertised rolesRobert Walters, 2026

MLRO, mid-size banking group, London£130,000–£160,000+Basic salary of advertised rolesRobert Walters, 2026

MLRO, large investment bank, London£170,000–£260,000+Basic salary of advertised rolesRobert Walters, 2026

Head of Financial Crime / MLRO, payments£140,000–£300,000 London; £110,000–£250,000 regionalAverage base salaryBarclay Simpson, 2026

Head of Financial Crime / MLRO, asset and wealth management£150,000–£300,000 London; £120,000–£200,000 regionalAverage base salaryBarclay Simpson, 2026

Head of Financial Crime / MLRO, insurance£100,000–£200,000 London; £100,000–£170,000 regionalAverage base salaryBarclay Simpson, 2026

MLRO, consumer credit or retail lending£70,000–£120,000Permanent salary range, UKFD Capital, 2026

MLRO, payment institution or e-money firm£80,000–£140,000Permanent salary range, UKFD Capital, 2026

MLRO, boutique asset or wealth manager£80,000–£130,000Permanent salary range, UK; often combined with head of complianceFD Capital, 2026

MLRO, cryptoasset or digital assets£90,000–£160,000Permanent salary range, UKFD Capital, 2026

MLRO, mid-size bank or building society£120,000–£200,000Permanent salary range, UKFD Capital, 2026

MLRO, investment bank or Tier 1 institution£200,000–£350,000+Permanent salary range, UKFD Capital, 2026

Head of Compliance and MLRO, small FCA firm£55,000–£75,000Base salary, combined roleFD Capital, 2026

06/ economics

What the salary costs the firm, beyond the base

A salary is not the whole cost of an employee.

For 2026 to 2027, employer’s National Insurance is 15% on earnings above £5,000 a year (HMRC rates and thresholds).

On Robert Walters’ £110,000 average for a London fintech or payments MLRO, that is £15,750 a year ((£110,000 − £5,000) × 15%, our arithmetic).

Under automatic enrolment, the employer must also pay at least 3% into a workplace pension on qualifying earnings (GOV.UK).

Many schemes pay more.

FD Capital notes that bonuses at most regulated firms are limited by the remuneration code that applies to the firm, so base pay carries more of the package than in many other senior seats.

07/ vetting

How we vet MLROs

What we undertake on every brief, before a candidate reaches you.

01
Qualification screen
Verify MLRO tenure, sector context and stage fit.
SOURCING
02
Mandate fit
Match to your situation — stage, board dynamics, timing.
MATCHING
03
Reference deep-dive
We take references ourselves, from recent past clients — real outcomes, not titles.
VERIFY
04
Shortlist
Three to five candidates with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
SHORTLIST OF 3–5

08/ mlro salary uk

MLRO salary UK: by sector and firm size

The MLRO salary UK firms pay tracks the money laundering risk the firm carries.

FD Capital’s 16 May 2026 benchmarks, drawn from its own placements, put a payment institution MLRO at £70,000–£100,000 at a smaller or mid-size firm and £100,000–£130,000 at a larger one.

At a wealth manager the range runs from £70,000–£95,000 (under £1bn of assets) to £130,000–£180,000 (above £10bn).

Banking pays the most.

FD Capital puts challenger banks and specialist lenders at £100,000–£140,000, mid-size banks at £130,000–£180,000 and the major clearing banks at £180,000–£250,000.

Insurance runs from £65,000–£90,000 at a smaller insurer to £130,000–£160,000+ at a major group, and consumer credit from £55,000–£80,000 to £80,000–£100,000.

Outside London, Barclay Simpson’s regional bands for a Head of Financial Crime / MLRO run from £100,000–£170,000 in insurance to £150,000–£250,000 in corporate and investment banking.

09/ mlro salary london

MLRO salary London, by experience and by firm

The MLRO salary London firms pay rises steeply with experience.

Morgan McKinley puts it at £90,000–£120,000 with up to three years, £120,000–£150,000 at three to five years and £150,000–£300,000 at five or more.

Robert Walters splits London by firm: £90,000–£130,000 at a fintech or payments firm, £130,000–£160,000+ at a mid-size banking group and £170,000–£260,000+ at a large investment bank.

Barclay Simpson’s London bands for a Head of Financial Crime / MLRO reach £300,000 in most banking, payments and wealth sectors.

Robert Walters lists Head of Financial Crime/MLRO third among the risk, compliance and financial crime professionals most in demand in London in 2026.

10/ average mlro salary

Average MLRO salary, and the deputy MLRO

The nearest figure to a published average MLRO salary is Robert Walters’ £110,000 for an MLRO at a London fintech or payments firm, the mean of the roles it analysed.

No source we can cite gives one national figure; the others publish ranges.

The deputy seat is paid less.

Morgan McKinley puts a London deputy MLRO (DMLRO) at £70,000–£90,000 with up to three years’ experience, rising to £110,000–£150,000 with five or more.

FD Capital says a deputy MLRO generally earns 70–80% of the firm’s MLRO salary, and does not hold personal SMF approval.

11/ the other routes

Money laundering reporting officer salary, day rate or retainer

Read this sectionClose this section

A permanent money laundering reporting officer salary buys an MLRO every day, with notice on both sides.

An interim is paid by the day for full-time cover over a fixed period; see interim MLRO salary for the day rates.

A fractional MLRO holds SMF17 for part of the week on a day rate or retainer; see fractional MLRO salary.

The three are paid on different bases, so compare the total cost for the days you need, not the headline figures.

For the compliance seat beside the MLRO, see compliance officer salary.

12/ questions

MLRO salary FAQ

The questions people ask before bringing in a MLRO.

Robert Walters’ 2026 survey gives an average of £110,000 for an MLRO at a London fintech or payments firm; no source we can cite publishes one national figure. Across sectors, FD Capital’s 2026 ranges run from £70,000–£120,000 in consumer credit to £200,000–£350,000+ at an investment bank or Tier 1 institution.

Morgan McKinley puts the London MLRO salary at £90,000–£120,000 with up to three years’ experience, £120,000–£150,000 at three to five years and £150,000–£300,000 at five or more. See MLRO salary London for the bands by firm.

At a small FCA-regulated firm the MLRO usually runs compliance too. FD Capital puts a combined Head of Compliance and MLRO at a firm with under £50m revenue at £55,000–£75,000 in 2026, and a consumer credit MLRO in a combined role at £55,000–£80,000.

Morgan McKinley puts a London deputy MLRO at £70,000–£90,000 with up to three years’ experience, £90,000–£110,000 at three to five years and £110,000–£150,000 at five or more. FD Capital puts the deputy at 70–80% of the firm’s MLRO salary.

Start with base pay for your sector, then add employer’s National Insurance at 15% above £5,000 a year and at least 3% pension on qualifying earnings. On Robert Walters’ £110,000 average for a London fintech MLRO, National Insurance alone is £15,750 a year (our arithmetic). We set out pay for every candidate on the shortlist.

In an FCA firm under the Senior Managers and Certification Regime, yes: the MLRO holds the SMF17 function and must be approved before taking it up. FD Capital says approval typically takes three to six months from application.

They are paid on different bases. An interim is paid by the day for full-time cover; a fractional MLRO by the day or a monthly retainer for part of the week. See interim MLRO salary and fractional MLRO salary.

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