Investment for growth
At NatWest Group, we are champions of business and innovation. And we are proud to be hosting the summit at our Gogarburn campus, as a headline sponsor through our Royal Bank brand.
For almost 300 years, the Royal Bank of Scotland has been supporting our customers in every region of Scotland to succeed. We bank one in five people and families, support one in three businesses, and have invested over £7 billion to fuel growth across the country.
But our role in the Scottish economy and wider society goes beyond the provision of capital. Our 11,000 colleagues are embedded in the communities we serve, bringing deep local and sector expertise. Our Accelerator Hubs in Glasgow and Edinburgh have helped nearly 1,000 entrepreneurs in fintech, life sciences, and other exciting growth sectors turn ambition into reality. And, by working closely with Scotland’s leading universities we are connecting academic research with real-world investment opportunities.
We are particularly proud of our role in Scotland’s green transition. In recent years we’ve supported onshore and offshore wind, marine engineering, carbon capture, and battery storage projects across the country. These investments are not only helping the environment – they are creating jobs, attracting global expertise, and positioning Scotland as a leader in clean energy innovation.
The summit arrives at a time where Scotland’s economy continues to show resilience and there are reasons for cautious optimism, with growth returning midway through 2025 and business confidence on the rise. Sectors such as health, financial services, and professional services are driving this recovery, while new business formation and SME borrowing outpace the UK average. Yet geo-political uncertainty, inflationary pressures, and shifting consumer demand continue to test businesses. And while Edinburgh and Glasgow have outperformed national trends, other areas continue to face challenges.
