NatWest joins the Better Business network

NatWest is a relationship bank for a digital world.

The bank is also partly funding Bristol24/7’s Climate & Sustainability Editor position.

Natwest hopes to champion potential; breaking down barriers and building financial confidence so the 19 million people, families and businesses it serves in communities throughout the South West and the wider UK can rebuild and thrive.

It wants to be known for removing barriers to enterprise, with a specific focus on supporting underrepresented groups and tackling geographical inequality by supporting growth – using its size, scale and expertise to help entrepreneurs to achieve their ambitions, and helping the economy to build back better, including supporting its customers transition to net zero.

The bank has set some ambitious targets to achieve this including:

• Helping create an additional 50,000 new businesses by 2023, of which: 60 per cent will be female-led; 20 per cent Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic-led; 75 per cent outside of London and South East.
• Supporting 25,000 underrepresented business owners
• Working with Digital Boost to provide advice to one million SMEs including 500,000 women and 200,000 from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities.
• Working alongside Business in the Community, building a bespoke regional programme of business support, to work with a minimum of 100 entrepreneurs providing access to expertise, mentors, networks, and supply chains.

The company’s financial commitments are bolstering these enterprise aspirations. It has previously launched £6 billion of growth funding for SMEs including a £2 billion commitment to help micro-SMEs scale and a £4 billion commitment to help SMEs outside London grow as well as investing £100 billion of climate and sustainable funding and financing, allowing UK SMEs to grow greener.

In Bristol, the bank’s Entrepreneur Accelerator Programme and Hub is helping scalable businesses reach even greater success. The Accelerator is a free programme specialising in wrap around support and provides:

• One-to-one coaching with experienced Acceleration managers
• A programme of thought leadership and events
• Access to a network of like-minded peers, supported by NatWest’s ecosystem managers
• Focused support with access to experts from across each business’ specialism
• Use of NatWest’s modern co-working space at its Bristol Trinity Quay offices

Matt Hatcher, who sits on Natwest’s South West board, said the bank was excited about joining Bristol24/7 as a Better Business partner.

“Bristol is home to some of the South West’s most successful and inspiring entrepreneurs and we’re proud, as a bank, to be supporting and working with many of these businesses helping them achieve region, national and international success.

“Enterprise is the lifeblood of a prospering economy and that is why we’re committed to removing barriers to business, providing more opportunities to support companies to grow and thrive.”

Main photo: Andrew Lloyd

Read more: Hargreaves Lansdown joins the Better Business network

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