(5 December 2024 – United Kingdom) NatWest Group has unveiled a new Fintech Growth Program designed to help UK-based startups leverage the expertise, resources, and networks of the established high-street bank.
The initiative aims to support these companies in scaling their operations while enhancing NatWest’s own innovation pipeline.
The program will select five fintech startups that are pre-Series A and developing solutions to address key challenges in the payments space. Over a ten-week period, these companies will engage in workshops, mentoring sessions, and coaching, with the goal of co-creating systems that could be implemented by NatWest.
David Grunwald, Director of NatWest Innovation, explains: “This program lays a pathway to create better outcomes for our customers. Working this closely with fintechs and UK entrepreneurs strengthens our ability to be future-focused, while supporting the growth of the innovation economy.”
NatWest has partnered with Aspire, a specialist consultancy known for designing growth-focused curriculums, to deliver the program. Aspire will help curate the content and provide additional support to the participating startups.
Mark Brant, Chief Payments Officer at NatWest, highlighted the value of collaboration, stating: “This initiative will allow fintechs to work collaboratively with NatWest’s Innovation team and senior decision-makers across the bank, while benefiting from a curated scale-up curriculum and the opportunity to build a meaningful network.”
He added: “Innovation and collaboration are fundamental to growth, especially in a challenging commercial environment. This program champions NatWest’s innovation by working with fintechs to co-create solutions to lead the future of banking.”