Connect with us

Business

NatWest to support 50,000 UK entrepreneurs through Accelerator in 2026

Published

on

NatWest to support 50,000 UK entrepreneurs through Accelerator in 2026

NatWest has announced plans to dramatically expand its Accelerator community, with an ambition to support 50,000 entrepreneurs across the UK in 2026 – a five-fold increase on the target it set for 2025.

The move follows a standout year for the programme, during which the bank supported around 12,000 founders. That figure exceeds the total number of entrepreneurs the Accelerator had backed over the previous decade combined, highlighting the rapid acceleration in both scale and impact.

The expansion forms part of NatWest’s new five-point Growing Together plan, which outlines how the bank intends to support long-term UK growth. The strategy focuses on backing regional economies, championing mid-market businesses, strengthening infrastructure and housing, improving financial confidence among families and young people, and supporting the innovators shaping the future economy.

NatWest said it believes banks have a role to play beyond providing finance, using their regional footprint, expertise and convening power to bring together businesses, communities and policymakers to help remove structural barriers to growth and unlock productivity across the UK.

At the heart of the expansion is the NatWest Accelerator community, which is built around peer networks, local cohorts and access to expert mentors, investors and specialist support. The programme is designed to help early-stage and high-growth businesses launch, scale and build resilience.

Advertisement

Data released by the bank shows the impact of the programme on participating businesses. Companies that completed the Accelerator grew their turnover by an average of 104 per cent year-on-year, compared with 20 per cent growth among a control group. In addition, nine out of ten Accelerator businesses were still trading three years later, compared with fewer than half in the control group.

Robert Begbie, CEO of Commercial & Institutional Banking at NatWest Group, said the expanded ambition reflects the bank’s confidence in the programme’s effectiveness.

“We know that to build the economy of the future we need to back the innovators who will power it,” he said. “Entrepreneurs are the driving force behind innovation, job creation and long-term economic growth across the UK. By raising our ambition for 2026, we’re reinforcing our commitment to back founders at every stage – from idea to scale-up – and help them turn ambition into sustainable success.”

The commitment was welcomed by government and business groups. Small Business Minister Blair McDougall said the announcement reflected the kind of practical support needed to unlock the potential of small businesses nationwide, while Aaron Asadi, CEO of Enterprise Nation, described NatWest as unmatched among banks in its support for UK entrepreneurs.

Advertisement

Shevaun Haviland, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, added that expanding the Accelerator would give more founders access to the advice and peer networks they need to grow with confidence.

As part of the expansion, NatWest will continue to grow its network of Accelerator hubs and on-campus university partnerships. The bank has already established hubs in collaboration with universities including Manchester, Oxford, York, Brighton and Warwick, and plans to set up hubs in up to ten universities over the next three years.

The Accelerator also delivers structured growth journeys through its UK hub network and via the NatWest Accelerator app, working in partnership with Google to provide access to digital tools, training and specialist expertise. Pitch events and founder forums held across the UK give entrepreneurs opportunities to showcase their businesses, build networks and access funding.

One business to benefit from the programme is Leeds-based production company Mood Films, which launched in 2024 after evolving from a long-standing mentor-mentee relationship into a creative partnership. After joining the NatWest Accelerator, the founders gained access to co-working space, one-to-one coaching and workshops covering funding, sales, marketing and future planning.

Advertisement

Louis Jones, co-founder and director of photography at Mood Films, said the programme helped the team move from being filmmakers learning the basics of business to confident founders with a clear understanding of how to scale.

“Joining the NatWest Accelerator was one of the best decisions we ever made for our business,” he said. “The support helped us understand every area of the business and gave us the confidence to grow now and into the future.”


Jamie Young

Jamie Young

Jamie is Senior Reporter at Business Matters, bringing over a decade of experience in UK SME business reporting.
Jamie holds a degree in Business Administration and regularly participates in industry conferences and workshops.

When not reporting on the latest business developments, Jamie is passionate about mentoring up-and-coming journalists and entrepreneurs to inspire the next generation of business leaders.

Advertisement

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Business

Cantor Fitzgerald lowers Snap stock price target to $7 from $9

Published

on


Cantor Fitzgerald lowers Snap stock price target to $7 from $9

Continue Reading

Business

How AI adoption is reshaping agency output and client expectations

Published

on

London’s transport strikes have driven a surge in demand for flexible offices, with workers increasingly choosing to base themselves closer to home rather than commute into the city centre or remain entirely remote.

In fact, for many businesses, utilising the undeniable strengths of artificial intelligence is a must, which is why the most asked question for every digital marketing agency in London is: how is AI adoption reshaping their outputs?

Not only does this new way of working affect digital marketing specialists, but it also changes how clients assess value, accountability and turnaround. Agencies today operate in an environment where performance data is abundant, and decision-making windows are shorter. With this in mind, the use of artificial intelligence aids in interpreting this data at a greater scale than most manual methods. This means agencies can fulfil client expectations better than before with faster execution, exceptional results and clearer insights.

What can you expect to see as the client of one of these agencies utilising AI? We break down everything there is to know in this guide.

Improved Efficiency and Quality

Keyword research, campaign reporting and competitor analysis all take a great amount of time, even for the greatest marketing geniuses. Although you may question why they need AI for tasks such as these, it is the way to achieve streamlined operational efficiency. Rather than spending hours at a screen, marketers can now complete these processes with speed, consistency and accuracy through their AI-assisted platforms.

Advertisement

It’s important to know that agencies using this advanced technology are the ones maintaining rigorous quality control. It’s often a misconception that performing tasks quickly leads to a drop in results; however, that is far from true – outputs are now more refined and aligned than ever, especially with your brand guidelines.

We are not stating that AI replaces human expertise, rather that it allows these teams to reallocate their time to the more desirable areas. Less time is being spent compiling the data from your campaigns, resulting in more time interpreting it for future success.

How Data Changed Creative Content Strategies

Creative output hasn’t been left behind. Firstly, your content strategies are now far more user-led. Businesses used to depend on assumptions. Now, with the help of AI, marketing teams can see exactly what people are searching for, how they interact with online content, and at which points the users start to disengage. With this comes creative content answering real questions, all while meeting the genuine needs of customers, instead of the guesswork.

What does this mean for your business? Well, you now have access to creative decisions backed by evidence, ultimately improving results compared to when they were guided by human instinct alone. Think less ‘trial and error’ and more campaigns with purpose. Your marketing team can implement content that achieves your business goals, be that generating leads, boosting sales, or improving customer retention.

Advertisement

AI now allows the agencies you partner with to better understand how audiences behave across all your different channels. This includes the content they engage with most and the messaging styles that resonate with specific groups. Again, it’s important to understand that AI insight doesn’t replace creative thinking; it simply gives us a clearer direction and stronger foundations to build upon.

SEO Management and Search Performance

SEO strategies are continuously expected to be both transparent and measurable. This is where AI-supported reporting comes into play. Not only does this provide clearer attribution, but it also helps businesses, like yours, to understand how organic visibility contributes to revenue and long-term growth.

It’s become far more complex now that we see search engines prioritising relevance, experience, and authority. Agencies that implement AI tools within their SEO strategies and Search Performance management can manage these complexities through monitoring ranking trends, identifying technical issues, and pinpointing optimisation opportunities at a more impressive scale.

It’s exciting – rather than reacting to performance drops, we can now anticipate changes and adjust strategies proactively, from refining on-page content, improving site structure or even aligning content as search behaviour updates.

Advertisement

Real-Time Reporting and Optimisation

Client expectations have changed, too. Businesses now expect more from their reporting than a static monthly report and limited performance analysis. This is especially true for companies in demanding markets. With AI-powered tools, agencies can meet these expectations, offering:

  • Real-time performance tracking across paid media, organic channels, and full conversion funnels
  • Early identification of underperforming areas for informed adjustments before the budget is wasted
  • Ongoing optimisation, ensuring all campaigns are actively managed rather than reviewed after the fact

With this new and improved approach, outcomes include greater efficiency and hands-on campaign management.

When reporting is conducted, you can clearly see in detail:

  • What is performing well
  • Why are changes being made
  • How results align with agreed KPIs and wider business objectives

Personalisation

Your marketing strategies should include personalisation; this is no longer optional. With it, you will see improvements in engagement and conversion rates without the need for excessive manual effort from your team. Without it, you risk falling back in increasingly competitive markets. AI enables the agencies working on your marketing to segment each audience based on user intent and their behaviour, all while delivering more relevant messaging across each ad, email, and website page.

What We Know Now

Incorporating AI systems and tools into marketing efforts is unavoidable. This adoption is not only reshaping how marketers deliver content, campaigns and results, but also changes what clients expect from their teams. With the help of Artificial Intelligence, businesses can now experience faster delivery, clearer insights, smarter optimisation, and measurable results. Agencies that integrate AI thoughtfully into their work are better positioned to meet these expectations while maintaining strategic superiority.

Partnering with an agency that understands both the capabilities and limitations of AI is guaranteed to positively influence sustainable growth and profits for your company.

Advertisement

Continue Reading

Business

Cocoa price drop puts Mondelez on alert

Published

on

Cocoa price drop puts Mondelez on alert

Snacking company watches for competitors’ reaction in 2026.

Continue Reading

Business

NSE Q3 Results: Profit falls 37% YoY to Rs 2,408 crore

Published

on

NSE Q3 Results: Profit falls 37% YoY to Rs 2,408 crore
Leading exchange NSE reported a 37% year-on-year (YoY) slump in its consolidated net profit at Rs 2,408 crore in the third quarter, while total income fell 9% YoY to Rs 4,395 crore.

On a sequential basis, profit after tax rose 15%, while total income grew 6%

Operating EBITDA for the third quarter declined 16% YoY to Rs 2,851 crore, while declined to 73%. This was the first results by the company after it received Sebi’s NOC for an IPO.

The overall revenue growth during the quarter was hit by lower transaction charges, which fell 12% YoY to Rs 3,033 crore. Revenue from transactions, however, rose 9% quarter-on-quarter, led by a sequential increase in volumes across equity cash market and derivatives segments.

Advertisement

Revenue from data feed and terminal services jumped 17% YoY to Rs 121 crore, while revenue from listing services grew 11% YoY to Rs 111 crore.


NSE recently received a no-objection from regulator Sebi to launch its IPO, marking an end to decade long wait for its offer approval from the regulator. The issue, which is likely to completely an OFS according to various reports, is likely to be launched in the next 7-8 months.
With regards to the IPO, the board is expected to form a specialised committee to serve as the central authority for the listing. This committee will be tasked with defining listing procedures and establishing the criteria for appointing the merchant bankers and legal advisors required to draft the Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP), PTI reported earlier.The proposed IPO is expected to be among the largest in India’s capital markets. NSE, which has about 1.77 lakh shareholders, is valued at over Rs 5 lakh crore in the grey market, according to various analysts.

NSE MD and CEO Ashish Chauhan had earlier described the approval as a positive signal.

“With Sebi approval, we embark on a new chapter of value creation for all our stakeholders. This approval also reinforces confidence in NSE being an integral part of the Indian economy and a beacon of Indian capital markets,” Srinivas Injeti, Chairperson, NSE had said earlier.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Business

FDA makes it easier to claim free of artificial colors

Published

on

FDA makes it easier to claim free of artificial colors

Beetroot red also gains approval for use as a color.

Continue Reading

Business

Bank of England chief Andrew Bailey shocked by Mandelson revelations

Published

on

Bank of England chief Andrew Bailey shocked by Mandelson revelations

Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has said he’s “shocked” at the claims surrounding the former business secretary Lord Mandelson and his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

At a news conference on Thursday, Bailey was asked about emails Mandelson allegedly sent to Epstein during the financial crisis.

At the time, Mandelson was business secretary and the global banking industry was close to collapse, prompting huge government bailouts in many countries, including the UK. There was a great deal of anger about this and the then Labour government proposed taxing bankers’ bonuses.

As the BBC’s economics editor, Faisal Islam, has written, the latest emails appear to show that Mandelson seemingly suggested that Jamie Dimon, boss of one of America’s biggest banks JP Morgan should mildly threaten the then Chancellor, the late Alistair Darling, over the tax.

Advertisement

Bailey, who played a key role in helping to stabilise the UK banking sector during the 2008-09 financial crisis, said “there are times in which things seemed to happen, lobbying happens, which has frankly ethics attached to it that I do find shocking”.

“To see those pictures of Peter Mandelson with Alistair Darling… Alistair Darling was doing all the right things and he was doing them, in my view… with a thorough sense of honesty and decency,” Bailey said.

“And he can’t speak for himself today.”

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Business

Bank of America now sees two ECB rate cuts in 2027, against market expectations

Published

on


Bank of America now sees two ECB rate cuts in 2027, against market expectations

Continue Reading

Business

TikTok told to change 'addictive design' by EU or face massive fines

Published

on

TikTok told to change 'addictive design' by EU or face massive fines

TikTok says it plans to challenge the “categorically false and entirely meritless” accusations.

Continue Reading

Business

Graco exec White sells $133k in shares after option exercise

Published

on


Graco exec White sells $133k in shares after option exercise

Continue Reading

Business

Roivant Sciences earnings missed by $0.07, revenue fell short of estimates

Published

on


Roivant Sciences earnings missed by $0.07, revenue fell short of estimates

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2025