NatWest Group

NatWest Group plc is a British banking and insurance holding company, based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It operates a variety of banking brands offering personal and business banking, private banking, investment banking, insurance and corporate finance. In the UK, its main subsidiary companies are National Westminster Bank, Royal Bank of Scotland, NatWest Markets, Coutts and Evelyn Partners. NatWest Group issues banknotes in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Before the 2008 financial crisis, NatWest Group was briefly the largest bank in the world, and for a period was the second-largest bank in the UK and Europe and the fifth-largest in the world by market capitalisation. With a slumping share price and major loss of confidence, it fell sharply in the rankings, although in 2009 it was briefly the world's largest company by both assets (£1.9 trillion) and liabilities (£1.8 trillion). NatWest Group was bailed out by the UK government via the 2008 United Kingdom bank rescue package. The government retained a majority share until 28 March 2022, held and managed through UK Government Investments. It reduced its shareholding in a series of transactions, selling off its final shares on 30 May 2025, at a total loss of £10bn to the taxpayer. In addition to its primary share listing on the London Stock Exchange, NatWest Group is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.