“NatWest Group has entered into a strategic partnership with the Vodeno Group (comprising of Vodeno Limited and its subsidiaries) which will see the creation of a Banking-as-a-Service (“BaaS”) business in the UK. This strategic partnership will enable businesses to embed financial services products such as payments, deposits, point-of-sale credit and merchant cash advances directly in their ecosystem by leveraging the Vodeno Group’s BaaS technology, and NatWest Group’s banking technology and UK banking licenses.”

“With the cost-of-living crisis dominating the headlines and thoughts of many people in the UK, the attraction of buy now, pay later (BNPL), an interest-free form of credit, is clearer than ever. “It can be a helpful way to access special experiences, or make important purchases, while spreading the cost in a structured way,” says Martin Wise, managing director at NatWest Buy Now, Pay Later.   NatWest has recently decided to move into the BNPL market in response to the changing needs of its consumers. “Many of our customers already use unregulated buy now, pay later services, and we want to provide them with a safer and more responsible alternative,” says Wise.”

“The pandemic brought the urgent need for enterprises across the spectrum to adopt new and emerging technologies. The global banking sector has been at the forefront in investing in the latest technologies like AI/ML, advanced analytics and Metaverse. NatWest, a major retail and commercial bank in the UK, has made strong progress over the last 4-5 years embracing technologies like private and public Cloud, RPA tools, AI/ML, Blockchain and Metaverse.”

“NatWest Group has signed agreements with three payment providers – TrueLayer, GoCardless and Crezco – to offer Variable Recurring Payments (VRP) as a new and convenient payment option for businesses and consumers. Today’s announcement, an industry first, means that NatWest Group will be the first UK bank to go beyond the requirement for banks to provide VRP in support of ‘sweeping’ – the automatic transfer of money between two accounts belonging to the same person. NatWest Group’s VRP offering will enable payment providers to give businesses a new option for managing customer payments for a range of services, including utility bills and subscriptions – complementing existing payment options such as Direct Debits and online card payments.”

“NatWest is to join the booming but controversial “buy now, pay later” market this summer, becoming the first UK high street bank to announce a move into the multibillion-pound sector. The bank is still majority taxpayer-owned – though only just, as the government stake is now about 51% – after a state bailout during the financial crisis. Its 18 million-plus customers may be surprised to learn it is to offer this form of unregulated credit, which lets people delay payment for items ranging from clothes to pet food.”

“Alongside straightforward customer on-boarding, simple pricing and next working day settlement, Tyl will provide smart data-led insights to help customers make informed business decisions. Customers will have access to a sophisticated card acquiring capability (in-store and online), as well as tools to help them manage and grow their business and give back to their communities.The Tyl team have worked collaboratively with SME customers to design and deliver this new proposition. It is currently live with a small number of NatWest customers and will be available to all merchant acquiring customers later this year.”