Dutch online bank Bunq recruiting digital nomads for rapid U.S., U.K. expansion

Dutch online bank Bunq has started a hiring spree targeting digital nomads - people who travel the world while working remotely - as it prepares to expand into the United States and the United Kingdom. The fintech company wants to end this year with 735 employees globally, a 72 percent increase from its 427 staff members at the start of the year, CEO Ali Niknam told CNBC.

Bunq is in the process of applying for banking licenses in the U.K. and U.S. The Dutch online-only bank is already active across the European Union. It is looking for new staff members in all departments, from sales to PR and user support.

“Bunq focuses on digital nomads who tend to roam the world,” Ninknam told CNBC. So many of the new positions will fall under the “tailored digital nomad” program that will allow employees to work from anywhere in the world.

The other positions will be at Bunq offices in Amsterdam, Istanbul, Madrid, and New York City, among others. The bank stressed that it wasn’t closing down office space with this new push to hire digital nomads.

The hiring spree comes as other fintech companies are implementing mass layoffs. PayPal, for example, has cut its global staff by 5,500 people since the start of 2023. The Swedish firm Klarna has reduced its workforce by 1,200 people over the past year and was looking to cut employee numbers by another 1,800 through the use of AI in customer services and marketing, according to CNBC.

Niknam told the newspaper that Bunq has been using AI systems “years before they became mainstream,” but he doesn’t think the technology will reduce the firm’s employee headcount. “In our experience, AI empowers our employees to be able to do better by our users, more effectively and efficiently,” he said.

Bunq recorded its first annual profit last year, booking 53.1 million euros in net profit in 2023.