Archives

December 8, 2023 @ 7:43 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The UK’s energy supply could require more than £900 billion in capital expenditure to achieve net zero by 20501, opening up “a significant opportunity for public and private capital in enabling a successful transition,” according to a new report published by NatWest and Boston Consulting… Read More

November 7, 2023 @ 9:53 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

NatWest and IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced enhancements to the bank’s virtual assistant, Cora, that will use generative AI to provide customers with access to a wider range of information through conversational interactions. The bank will be among the first in the UK to deploy generative… Read More

October 24, 2023 @ 7:31 am By Omar Faridi  |  

TAB, the real estate finance and investment house set to have a £500m loan book in 2024, has completed a private securitisation facility with NatWest and Atalaya Capital Management of “up to £300m to support TAB’s lending products.” Both funding partners support TAB’s commitment to… Read More

October 7, 2023 @ 3:34 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

NatWest has launched a new transaction categorization service called Enriched Transactions, which is available to businesses, such as Account Information Service Providers (AISPs) and lending providers, to integrate with their apps and digital platforms. By making the API-enabled service available to businesses, NatWest claims it… Read More

September 10, 2023 @ 6:52 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Board of NatWest Group plc is pleased to announce that Richard Haythornthwaite (Rick) will succeed Sir Howard Davies as Chair, subject to regulatory approval. Rick will join the Board of NatWest Group plc as “an independent non-executive director on 8 January 2024 and following… Read More

July 25, 2023 @ 1:23 pm By JD Alois  |  

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has issued a statement on the recent bust-up over Coutts canceling a high-profile account due to its internal “values.”  Coutts, which is owned by NatWest, shut down the account of former UKIP leader and noted Brexit supporter Nigel Farage… Read More

July 5, 2023 @ 8:18 am By Omar Faridi  |  

In a report published on ‘The (Unmet) Potential of Open Banking’, Oxera identifies the key economic obstacles that are “holding back the wider adoption of Open Banking and the development of new innovative use cases that go beyond the regulatory mandate.” NatWest Group commissioned Oxera,… Read More

June 30, 2023 @ 8:00 am By Omar Faridi  |  

NatWest, which claims to be the UK’s biggest bank for business, is offering 24 months of free business banking to UK businesses “switching their main business banking account to NatWest.” The new SME switcher offer from NatWest for businesses “with up to £2m in turnover… Read More

June 7, 2023 @ 10:42 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

NatWest Group has completed its acquisition of a majority shareholding in workplace savings and pensions fintech, Cushon. In February 2023, NatWest Group agreed “to acquire 85% of Cushon for £144m, with 15% retained by Cushon management.” This acquisition was subsequently “approved by the FCA in… Read More

May 28, 2023 @ 9:05 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

NatWest Group has announced that, from today, it aims to provide an additional £1 billion in lending to the UK Manufacturing sector by the end of 2030, aiming “to stimulate growth in the sector and help manufacturers invest in cleaner, more efficient forms of energy… Read More

March 15, 2023 @ 8:53 am By Omar Faridi  |  

NatWest is increasing customer protection against crypto-criminals “after £329m was lost by consumers last year.” A daily limit of £1000 and a 30-day payment limit of £5000 to cryptocurrency exchanges is being “implemented to help protect customers losing life changing sums of money.” Cryptocurrency investments… Read More

February 24, 2023 @ 12:22 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

NatWest and NAB have published a jointly authored white paper “exploring the common threads that bind both Australia’s Consumer Data Right (CDR) and the UK’s Open Banking regime.” The agenda-setting whitepaper “highlights the similarities in the policies that underpin both regimes: to increase competition, innovation… Read More

February 14, 2023 @ 3:13 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Cushon’s primary products are its workplace ISA and master trust pension – which offers an investment strategy “designed to drive down the financed CO2 emissions of customers’ investments.” It also offers Junior and Lifetime ISAs, as well as “a general investment account.” The intended acquisition… Read More

November 24, 2022 @ 9:39 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Financial services firms across the UK are being urged to prioritize investment and training in skills “including digital literacy, coaching and software development to help the sector tackle ongoing skills gaps and to boost its competitiveness.” The five core skills and behaviors also “include creative… Read More

October 21, 2022 @ 6:34 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

NatWest Group plc has entered into a partnership with the Vodeno Group (comprising of Vodeno Limited and its subsidiaries) which will see the creation of a Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) business in the UK. This strategic partnership will “enable businesses to embed financial services products such as… Read More

August 14, 2022 @ 8:51 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Oak Engage is reportedly deploying NatWest Group with Adaptive Intelligence which went live recently as a way for firms to enhance their digital worker experience. The Newcastle-headquartered intranet technology company, Oak Engage, says that Adaptive Intelligence should assist firms with engaging with their workers more… Read More

June 16, 2022 @ 9:01 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

NatWest recently revealed that it’s introducing a QR code-based version of its online payment service PayIt in order to help companies accept faster payments of invoices. Available within the NatWest Business Banking App and using PayIt as the tech backbone, the feature, called PayMe, allows… Read More

June 7, 2022 @ 1:20 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

NatWest announced that it is working cooperatively with Accenture (NYSE: ACN) and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) in order to build an innovative client engagement platform that will aim to replace its multi-system, legacy frontline architecture. As mentioned in the update, the platform will aim to integrate… Read More

May 31, 2022 @ 3:14 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

NatWest has introduced an API that allows commercial clients to embed Confirmation of Payee into their own systems and processes. Confirmation of Payee was launched across the United Kingdom’s banking sector in June 2020 in order to combat scammers and safeguard against user errors. The… Read More

May 7, 2022 @ 1:35 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

NatWest Group has entered agreements with three payment providers – TrueLayer, GoCardless and Crezco – in order to offer Variable Recurring Payments (VRP) as “a new and convenient payment option for businesses and consumers.” This “industry first” means that NatWest Group will be the first… Read More