Q. Why is NatWest focused on helping people build strong financial foundations?
For me, it comes down to something quite simple: when our customers are more knowledgeable and confident about money and planning for the future, we all benefit. Banks can’t solve the cost-of-living crisis alone, but we are part of people’s everyday lives. We can help them get started, often in small, practical ways; helping them understand their options, manage their money with a little more confidence or feel better prepared for what lies ahead. Good financial habits are a key part of this. Keeping an eye on a budget, putting a little aside when possible, or simply pausing before a purchase all help people feel more in control. None of these steps needs to be dramatic. What matters is that, over time, we build confidence and make unexpected challenges feel a little more manageable.
Q. What gives you optimism during UK Savings Week?
Seeing the collaborative efforts of organisations, charities and groups coming together to raise awareness is a huge cause for optimism. The collective recognition that financial resilience isn't built by one solution, or one bank alone, but by teams working together consistently and concertedly for better financial wellbeing.
Financial wellbeing comes from a combination of practical tools, trusted guidance, education and support. It comes from helping people understand the choices available to them and taking steps to find the programmes, products and partners best suited to them.
During UK Savings Week we are encouraging people to take positive steps, however big or small. It's also why we've partnered with the Money and Pensions Service as a signatory to the UK Savings Charter since 2024. We’re supporting its ambition to build a nation of savers and increase awareness of the importance of saving. We are the first and only bank to be a signatory.
Q. Why is it important for NatWest to support UK Savings Week?
The NatWest Savings Index 2026 found that 84% of adults have saved money in the last year and almost half put savings aside every month. Yet one in five households still lacks emergency savings.
UK Savings Week, which runs from 21st to 27th September, encourages everyone to think about savings and build better savings habits. At its heart is a simple but powerful message: even small amounts can make a difference.
A regular savings habit is key to building financial resilience. Saving little and often contributes towards short-term security and long-term financial wellbeing. Over time, saving also helps people make progress towards life-changing goals, like buying a house, paying for university, planning the trip of a lifetime, or funding a comfortable retirement. That is why it’s important for us to support UK Savings Week, getting people talking about savings, raising awareness of the benefits of saving and helping everyone save if they can.
While most of us understand the benefits of saving for the future, there’s often a gap between knowing we ought to take action - and taking that next step. NatWest is committed to playing its part.
Q. How does NatWest help drive financial confidence?
We support people to build confidence and knowledge for good money management at different ages and stages through programmes including NatWest Thrive for young people and Financial Foundations for adults. Building savings habits is a central theme across both programmes, with content designed to meet people where they are in life and help them build confidence step-by-step.
NatWest Thrive reached 1 million young people in 2025 and is now delivered in almost nine in 10 secondary schools. It combines more than 30 years of youth community programmes and aims to help young people build confidence, skills and self-belief. Through practical learning experiences and downloadable content, young people can explore topics including saving, budgeting, spending choices, planning for the future and understanding longer-term financial goals.
We also recently brought these conversations to life through Money Talks by NatWest Thrive, a campaign designed for teens, by teens. The event used topics young people already care about as a gateway into conversations about money, work and the future. It's another example of how we can help young people engage with financial topics in ways that feel relevant and accessible to them.
Financial Foundations provides free, in-person and impartial money guidance workshops for adults – we aim to reach 50,000 people with the programme in 2026. Delivered in workplaces and communities across the UK by trained NatWest Group colleagues, the programme covers practical topics such as budgeting, managing debt, savings strategies and fraud protection.
Through Financial Foundations, savings-related content explores practical topics including building emergency savings, understanding inflation and compound interest, setting short-term savings goals, and understanding the differences between saving and investing.
Together, these programmes support people throughout different stages of life. They also bring financial education directly into schools, workplaces and communities, helping people access support where they are.
Supporting financial confidence can have a lasting impact by helping people build stronger financial foundations and greater resilience for the future. That's why supporting financial confidence is an important part of our Growing Together plan, through which we're helping people and families save, invest and build strong finances.
Q. How is NatWest helping people turn confidence into lasting savings habits?
Alongside financial education programmes, it’s important that we develop practical tools that can help people build saving habits as part of their day-to-day interactions with us. From features such as Round Ups and Savings Goals to our Digital Regular Saver proposition, we're focused on supporting a range of saving behaviours and financial goals. For younger audiences, Rooster Money also helps children and families build savings from an early age. While everyone's financial needs will be different, these tools form part of our wider commitment to helping people build financial confidence and resilience over the long term.
Ultimately, healthy savings habits and financial resilience don’t develop overnight. But by supporting people at different life stages, helping them build strong foundations, and making financial education more accessible, we can help more people plan for their futures and build financial confidence across all nations and regions of the UK.
