NatWest Group

About NatWest Group

Originally the National Westminster Bank, formed in 1968 from the merger of National Provincial Bank and Westminster Bank. NatWest was one of the Big Four British clearing banks. The bank was acquired by the Royal Bank of Scotland in 2000 in the largest bank takeover in British history. RBS was forced to divest NatWest branches as a competition remedy, leading to the creation of Williams and Glyn. After RBS collapsed in 2008, the British government owned 84 percent of the group. The bank was renamed NatWest Group in 2020. The government has been selling its stake gradually. NatWest returned to private ownership for the first time in May 2024 when the government stake fell below 50 percent.