NatWest appoints Kei Shibata as President & Country Executive for Japan
NatWest appoints Kei Shibata President and Country Executive for Japan from 1 July 2026*, reinforcing commitment to Japan and global clients.
Kei Shibata currently leads NatWest’s Sales team in Japan and has served as Deputy Country Executive since January 2026. He brings extensive market experience and strong client relationships across the region. Alongside his existing responsibilities leading Sales for Japan, Shibata-san will report to Patricio Silva, NatWest’s Head of Asia Pacific (APAC), in his new role.
Shibata-san succeeds Kenji Yamamoto, who announced his intention to retire from NatWest in 2025 after nearly two decades with the bank. Yamamoto-san will remain with NatWest during a transition period to support a smooth handover.
Patricio Silva, Head of APAC, NatWest, said: “I’m very pleased to appoint Kei Shibata as President and Country Executive for Japan. Shibata-san has demonstrated strong leadership in our Japan business and built deep relationships with clients and stakeholders. His appointment reiterates our steadfast commitment to Japan and our dedication to being a trusted partner for our global customers. I would also like to thank Kenji Yamamoto for his outstanding contribution and leadership over many years, and wish him every success in his retirement.”
Kei Shibata, incoming President and Country Executive, Japan, NatWest, said: “I’m honoured to take on this role and continue building on the strong foundation established in Japan. I look forward to working with colleagues across the bank globally to support our clients, deepen relationships and deliver sustainable growth for our business in the region.”
NatWest appoints Nick Rodolakis as Head of Funds and Sponsor Coverage
Nick joins NatWest from Jefferies on Monday 13 April 2026, bringing more than 25 years’ leadership and investment banking experience, deep sector knowledge and a strong network across the global Sponsor ecosystem.
Prior to Jefferies where he was Managing Director and European Co-Head of Leveraged Finance, he held several senior roles at Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse.
Nick joins the CIB management team and will report to Isabelle Girolami, Head of NatWest’s CIB business.
Isabelle Girolami, Head of CIB, NatWest, said: “I’m very pleased to welcome Nick Rodolakis as our new Head of Funds and Sponsor Coverage for NatWest. Nick brings extensive leadership experience across investment banking and will play a key role in delivering our strategic plans for this important customer segment.”
Nick Rodolakis, Head of Funds and Sponsor Coverage, CIB, NatWest said: “I’m thrilled to be joining NatWest to lead the Funds and Sponsor Coverage business. I’m looking forward to working with teams across the Corporate & Institutional Banking business to continue delivering best-in-class solutions and outcomes for our clients, deepening and expanding these relationships and supporting sustainable growth for our clients globally.”
NatWest announces sale of Mentor
NatWest Group announced the sale of its employment law, HR, health and safety, and environmental management consultancy business, Mentor, to Empowering People Group, backed by Limerston Capital.
Following the sale, NatWest Group will continue to offer access to Mentor’s services on a referral basis, given the ongoing demand for specialist HR support services amongst NatWest’s Commercial Mid-Market and Business Banking businesses.
Empowering People Group has offices across the UK, providing comprehensive HR and Health & Safety support alongside SRA-regulated employment law expertise. Acquiring Mentor reinforces their commitment to delivering exceptional HR solutions while opening new opportunities for businesses seeking innovative, people-focused support.
Robert Begbie, Commercial and Institutional CEO NatWest said: “This sale marks an important step in our strategy to simplify and focus on what matters most to our customers and colleagues. And an exciting next phase for Mentor; becoming part of a specialist business and industry expert with complementary services. We’re confident that Mentor will continue to thrive under Empowering People Group’s ownership, and we look forward to maintaining a strong relationship with Mentor and the Empowering People Group in the future.”
Rena Christou, Group CEO Empowering People Group, said: “For more than 20 years, the Empowering People Group has built a strong reputation as a trusted HR partner to large and complex organisations, helping them manage risk, strengthen performance and support their people with confidence.
“Mentor is a natural and complementary fit – with aligned values, proven track records and a shared commitment to high standards. We are excited about the opportunity to build something even stronger and deliver even greater impact to the market. Together we are creating a broader, more comprehensive proposition and bringing together enterprise-scale HR capability with deep H&S and environmental strength across the SME market.”
The acquisition is expected to complete in Q3 / early Q4 2026.
NatWest Launches New Life Insurance, Critical Illness Cover and Over 50s Life Insurance for Retail and Mortgage Customers
NatWest launches a new range of protection insurance to its retail and mortgage customers, with a fast and intuitive digital experience that will enable homebuyers to obtain quotes and apply for vital protection cover in a seamless online journey.
The new product suite includes Life Insurance, expanded Critical Illness Cover, and Over 50s Life Insurance, helping widen eligibility and access to protection. Critical Illness Cover has been significantly enhanced for customers, now providing protection for 52 conditions.
Life insurance is now more prominent across NatWest’s innovative digital mortgage channels, including Mortgage Self Service, Digital Mortgages and the mobile app. Customers can see indicative pricing earlier in the process, benefit from pre‑populated quotes* and experience a smoother application journey.
Addressing the UK protection gap remains a priority, with data from The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) highlighting that 58% of UK adults are currently without life cover.
By bringing a fully NatWest branded proposition to the forefront of the customer journey, the bank aims to increase visibility and confidence, encouraging more households to consider essential protection.
Toni Powling, Protection Lead at NatWest said: “We can now bring customers clearer, more comprehensive protection at a time when financial security matters more than ever. We’re making it simpler for people to understand their options and take steps to protect what’s most important to them.”
Customers can now benefit from a modernised digital platform to provide a more transparent with a user‑friendly experience, access to broader cover, clearer product information and simplified language.
These improvements have been shaped by research and customer feedback, to create a digital‑first protection experience that makes life insurance easier to understand and more accessible.
All products are underwritten by Aviva and NatWest protection customers will benefit from access to a range of added-value health and wellbeing benefits through the Aviva Digicare+ app.
NatWest: Εξαγοράζει την Evelyn Partners έναντι 2,7 δισεκατομμυρίων λιρών
Στην εξαγορά της Evelyn Partners, ενός από τους μεγαλύτερους διαχειριστές πλούτου της Βρετανίας, συμφώνησε να προχωρήσει η NatWest Group, έναντι 2,7 δισ. λιρών, συμπεριλαμβανομένου του χρέους, στο πλαίσιο της προσπάθειάς της να επεκτείνει τη δραστηριότητα διαχείρισης πλούτου, όπως ανακοίνωσε σήμερα η βρετανική τράπεζα.
Η NatWest ακολουθεί ανταγωνιστές, όπως η HSBC και η Lloyds, ενισχύοντας τα τελευταία χρόνια τις προσφορές στη διαχείριση πλούτου, καθώς οι βρετανικές τράπεζες στρέφονται ολοένα και περισσότερο σε δραστηριότητες που βασίζονται σε προμήθειες, προκειμένου να αντισταθμίσουν την αναμενόμενη μείωση των εσόδων από τόκους καθώς τα επιτόκια των κεντρικών τραπεζών υποχωρούν.
Η συνδυασμένη εταιρεία θα διαθέτει συνολικά υπό διαχείριση και διοίκηση περιουσιακά στοιχεία ύψους 127 δισ. λιρών.
Η NatWest αναμένει ότι η συμφωνία θα αποφέρει περίπου 100 εκατ. λίρες σε ετήσιες εξοικονομήσεις κόστους και ανακοίνωσε επίσης επαναγορά μετοχών ύψους 750 εκατ. λιρών.
Η συμφωνία δημιουργεί τη μεγαλύτερη επιχείρηση ιδιωτικής τραπεζικής και διαχείρισης πλούτου στη Βρετανία και μετασχηματίζει την προσφορά αποταμίευσης και επενδύσεων της NatWest Group για τους 20 εκατομμύρια πελάτες της, ανέφερε η βρετανική τράπεζα.
Οι μέτοχοι ιδιωτικών κεφαλαίων της Evelyn, Permira και Warburg Pincus, ξεκίνησαν πέρυσι τη διαδικασία πώλησης του διαχειριστή πλούτου, η οποία προσέλκυσε επίσης ενδιαφέρον από την Barclays, τη Lloyds και τη Royal Bank of Canada, μετέδωσε το Reuters.
«Είμαστε κάπως έκπληκτοι που η NWG φαίνεται να επικράτησε, δεδομένου του πόσο αυστηρά ο διευθύνων σύμβουλος ελέγχει τα οικονομικά του ομίλου», ανέφερε σε σημείωμά του ο αναλυτής της RBC Capital Markets, Benjamin Toms.
«Παρότι θεωρούμε ότι πρόκειται για μια προσθετική συναλλαγή (bolt-on), θα μπορούσε να αποδειχθεί μετασχηματιστική, καλύπτοντας το κενό που έχει η NWG στην προσφορά της προς εύπορους πελάτες», πρόσθεσε.
Η Permira κατέχει την Evelyn Partners, η οποία παλαιότερα ήταν γνωστή ως Tilney Smith & Williamson, από το 2014, χρηματοδοτώντας την ανάπτυξή της σε διαχειριστή πλούτου που εποπτεύει περιουσιακά στοιχεία πελατών ύψους 63 δισ. λιρών.
Η συναλλαγή θα χρηματοδοτηθεί από υφιστάμενους πόρους και αναμένεται να μειώσει τον δείκτη βασικών ιδίων κεφαλαίων κατηγορίας 1 (CET1) της NatWest κατά περίπου 130 μονάδες βάσης, ανέφερε η τράπεζα.
NatWest doubles social rent loan fund to £1 billion in response to strong demand
Social rent homes are designed to provide affordable housing for people on lower incomes and let to tenants at significantly lower than private market rates.
The investment follows significant demand from housing associations and demonstrates the bank’s continued £7.5bn ambition to supporting the urgent need for affordable housing for 1.3 million people on social housing waiting lists.
Eligible housing associations which are existing customers of the bank can apply for the social rent loans which are incentivised with discounted interest margins plus no arrangement fee.
The aim of providing discounted loans for building social rent homes will not only support their construction but also enable housing associations to allocate funds towards improving living conditions within the communities they serve.
The government has pledged to stop children growing up in B&Bs as part of its child poverty strategy. In England alone, more than 172,000 children are living in temporary accommodation.
Paul Thwaite, CEO, NatWest Group, said: “Investing in safe, warm, and affordable housing for families isn’t just about shelter but an important investment in the long-term well-being, education, and economic prospects of children and their parents. With more than 1.3 million households still on social housing waiting lists in England alone, NatWest is committed to the role we can play in supporting the UK social housing sector in any way possible.”
“This is why we have pledged to increase our social loan offering to £1bn for our customers to help them build vitally needed social rental properties across the UK as part of our £7.5 billion lending ambition to the social housing sector.”
VIVID was one of the first housing associations to draw funds from NatWest’s social rent loan fund, securing £100 million to build an additional 450 new social rent homes across the south of England.
Bromford Flagship has also recently secured £50 million to fund the development of over 470 new homes for social rent across east, central and the south west of England.
David Ball, Chief Financial Officer at VIVID, commented: “NatWest’s new social rent linked loan product gives housing associations the financial flexibility to build more homes at social rent levels. The overall rate discount being offered is an innovative step change that shows NatWest’s commitment to supporting the Government’s Social Rent led agenda.”
Paul Walsh, Chief Finance Officer at Bromford Flagship, added: “NatWest has been a key strategic funding partner of ours for several years and this deal underlines the strength of their long-term support for us and our sector. The social aspects of this loan clearly demonstrate the alignment of our organisations’ values and strategic objectives. This type of innovative funding structure helps us to deliver much-needed new homes for social rent, the most affordable tenure, whilst continuing to invest heavily in our existing homes and deliver high quality services to customers.”
According to a 2024 report from Shelter and the National Housing Federation, social homes are more stable than private renting, as tenancies are secure, leading to better socioeconomic outcomes and increasing rates of employment.
In England, housing associations have expanded their affordable rent development programmes, as these generate rents of up to 80% of market rates, in contrast to social rent, which typically yield rents of approximately 50% of market rates.
Aviva and Moda secure deal with Homes England, NatWest and WMCA for major £200m+ community in Birmingham
Aviva Capital Partners and Moda Group have completed a landmark investment deal with NatWest, Homes England, and the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) to unlock a 1,000-home rental community in Digbeth, Birmingham.
The funding agreement for the £200m+ Stone Yard project in Digbeth showcases the strength of opportunity for regeneration through collaboration between the private and public sectors driving the delivery of high quality new homes.
The funding package includes debt financing from NatWest and Homes England via the Home Building Fund. This will support the delivery of phase one of the build-to-rent (BTR) community, which will comprise 605 high-quality homes across four blocks.
In addition the West Midlands Combined Authority has provided brownfield grant funding, enabling the project to increase its affordable housing provision to 20%, which will be offered at a Discounted Market Rent. This provision will be dispersed throughout the development, enabling community led regeneration whilst delivering the highest quality of place and accommodation.
A future development phase will deliver a further three blocks, bringing the total number of homes at Stone Yard to 995.
Last year, Homes England signed a Strategic Place Partnership (SPP) with the WMCA, setting out shared ambitions to advance locally-led housing growth and regeneration in key locations in the region, including the East Birmingham & North Solihull corridor which is anchored by Digbeth in the city centre. Homes England has supplied debt funding of around £40m to the Stone Yard financing package.
The development will champion social and environmental sustainability, targeting top level certification from leading accreditors including Fitwel, Home Quality Mark and BREAAM.
The new homes will be complemented by a range of amenity spaces for all residents, including co-working spaces, 24/7 gyms and studio spaces, lounges and private dining rooms.
Alongside new homes, the scheme will include community-focused features such as commercial units, landscaped public areas, and links to local attractions will contribute to Digbeth’s emergence as a vibrant, inclusive neighbourhood.
The buildings and new public realm will be operated by Moda with its signature focus on service, technology and health and wellbeing, ensuring the curation of a professionally managed, diverse community in the heart of Birmingham.
Caddick Construction, Moda’s sister company, will build the neighbourhood and has commenced initial work on site. Completion of phase one is expected in 2028.
Located on a prominent four-acre brownfield site, Stone Yard is in a highly accessible location on Deritend Road. The site sits at the heart of the city’s creative quarter, adjacent to the Custard Factory and directly opposite the new Eastside Metro extension and the forthcoming HS2 Curzon Street Station.
Sophie White, Regeneration Sector Lead at Aviva Capital Partners, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Moda to provide high quality accommodation in Birmingham, helping to support the local economy and beyond. The partnership with NatWest, Homes England and WMCA has been critical in getting the scheme underway for this key brownfield site in Digbeth. Sustainability is at the heart of this development, with community and affordability critical elements helping to ensure it supports the local area to get ready for the future.”
Tony Brooks, Executive Chairman of Moda Group, said: “This milestone is a powerful demonstration of what can be achieved when the public and private sectors work collaboratively to realise a shared, long-term vision for regeneration. “Aligned, we will be able to deliver much-needed new rental homes, at pace. With high quality new public realm completing the neighbourhood, Stone Yard will be a pivotal part of the wider regeneration of Digbeth, transforming a brownfield site into a thriving urban community.”
Michael Goode, Director and BTR Lead, NatWest, said: “Stone Yard is an exciting project for Birmingham. The delivery of much needed new homes, with enviable sustainability credentials, is aligned to NatWest’s ambitions in BTR. “It was a pleasure working with Aviva Capital Partners and Moda, alongside our funding partners at Homes England and WMCA, in delivering an innovative financing solution.”
Marcus Railing, Chief Investment Officer at Homes England, said: “As the government’s housing and regeneration agency, our aim is to support public and private sector partners to unlock strategic housing sites, and we are committed to supporting stakeholders of all sizes to achieve their ambitions. “Stone Yard is a prime example of how the Agency works collaboratively with both public and private partners to achieve our mission to build much needed new communities that people can be proud to call home.
“This funding agreement also represents how Homes England works with Mayoral Strategic Authorities by aligning investment, unlocking opportunity and delivering at scale through Strategic Place Partnerships.”
NatWest Appoints Dr Maja Pantic as the Bank’s First Chief AI Research Officer
NatWest has announced Dr Maja Pantic as its first Chief AI Research Officer to advance the bank’s AI capabilities to meet customer needs, drive cutting-edge research and innovation across the bank, and support its strategic focus on bank-wide simplification.
Maja brings deep AI research expertise and is currently serving as Professor of Affective & Behavioural Computing at Imperial College London, having previously been Founding Research Director of Samsung AI Research Centre in Cambridge, and AI Scientific Research Director at Meta London.
As the bank continues to build differentiating AI capabilities to anticipate customer expectations and deliver bank-wide simplification, the new Chief AI Research officer will be focused on:
Accelerating state-of-the-art AI use cases, such as the use of multimodal AI (including voice or video) to combat deepfakes and generative AI to advance responsible AI controls.
Leading research and innovation to provide a forward-looking view on AI advancements, how they impact the banking industry, and anticipate future shifts in behaviour and technology.
Progressing the use of AI for bank-wide simplification by accelerating the use of AI tools and automation to enable colleagues to be more productive, efficient, and focus on activities that matter.
Scott Marcar, CIO of NatWest Group, said: “It’s not the first time I’ve said that AI is helping us to be a simpler NatWest and to transform our customers’ experiences as we become even more of a trusted partner in the moments that matter most. Maja’s appointment is another important and exciting milestone; her unique skills and experience will help us adapt and meet customers’ changing needs faster, and more effectively, whilst complementing our team’s existing capabilities.”
Dr Maja Pantic commented: “My career decisions have always been guided by two things: the opportunity to make an impact and the chance to learn. Joining a business like NatWest – given the vital role it plays in the lives of the customers and communities it serves – will not only give me the opportunity to work at the forefront of technological shifts in the banking industry at an immense scale, but to learn from leaders who instil a culture of learning and innovation throughout the bank.”
This appointment builds on recent momentum in NatWest’s AI transformation, as it leverages the technology to enhance customer experiences and improve efficiency. This includes the news of its collaboration with OpenAI, the roll-out of the bank’s internal GenAI platform to all colleagues, and success in how it operates and serves customers through virtual assistant tools like Cora+ and AskArchie+*. The GenAI functionality offered by Cora+ has shown a 150% improvement in customer satisfaction, while reducing the number of times a colleague needs to intervene, with similar benefits with Ask Archie+, where up to 75% of HR queries no longer need human intervention.