NatWest Group has significantly broadened its use of artificial intelligence across its business, embedding the technology into customer service, wealth management, software development and fraud prevention.
According to chief information officer Scott Marcar, 2025 marks the first year the bank has deployed these AI systems at scale. The goal is straightforward: improve productivity, strengthen customer engagement and modernize internal operations.
NatWest Group
Generative AI Enhances Customer Service
One of the most visible changes is in customer support. NatWest has integrated generative AI into Cora, its digital assistant, expanding the number of customer journeys supported by AI from four to 21. The bank says this has led to faster resolution times and reduced reliance on human intervention for routine queries.
Early this year, 25,000 customers will gain access to a new agentic financial assistant within Cora, built on models from OpenAI. The assistant allows customers to ask natural-language questions about recent transactions and spending patterns directly through the bank’s app.
The next phase will introduce voice-to-voice capabilities. These upgrades are designed to interpret tone and conversational nuance, enabling customers to report suspected fraud and manage related cases through a more intuitive interface.
Internally, AI tools are also reshaping operations. In the retail division, automated call summaries and complaint drafting tools have saved more than 70,000 hours of staff time. By generating structured summaries of customer conversations, the systems help staff respond to complaints more efficiently and consistently.
AI Tools Rolled Out to 60,000 Employees
NatWest has extended access to AI tools across its workforce of around 60,000 employees. Staff can use Microsoft Copilot Chat and the bank’s own large language model to support daily tasks. More than half of employees have completed additional training beyond the initial rollout.
In private banking and wealth management, AI is being used to streamline document management and client record-keeping. Relationship managers rely on detailed notes, meeting summaries and correspondence to understand clients’ financial circumstances. Automated summarisation tools now condense meetings and documents, cutting review time and freeing up roughly 30% more time for direct client interaction.
The result, the bank says, is that advisers can focus more on delivering advice rather than administrative work.
Cloud Migration Supports AI Strategy
Behind these changes is a major overhaul of NatWest’s data infrastructure. The bank has restructured its data estate to create unified customer views and migrated workloads to Amazon Web Services. Simplifying legacy systems and increasing access to scalable computing power has enabled the rollout of conversational AI and document summarisation tools.
The shift to cloud-based systems also supports fraud detection and risk monitoring. AI-powered analytics are designed to flag unusual activity and notify customers when potential risks are identified.
AI in Software Development and Financial Crime
Software engineering is another area where AI is taking a central role. NatWest’s 12,000 engineers use AI coding tools for drafting, reviewing and testing software. The bank reports that more than a third of its code is now generated with AI assistance.
In 2025, NatWest hired nearly 1,000 graduate software engineers in the UK and India, reflecting continued investment in digital capability alongside automation.
The bank has also trialed “agentic engineering” within its financial crime units. According to Marcar, these pilots resulted in a tenfold increase in productivity. NatWest plans to extend these practices more broadly, with the aim of accelerating how quickly systems are built and improved.
Governance and Responsible AI
Alongside operational deployment, NatWest has created an AI research office focused on emerging technologies, including audiovisual conversational systems and proprietary small language models.
The bank has formalized governance through an AI and Data Ethics Code of Conduct and is participating in the Financial Conduct Authority’s Live AI Testing programme, underscoring a focus on responsible implementation.
A Shift From Experiment to Core Strategy
Across customer service, wealth management, engineering and fraud prevention, AI is no longer a pilot project at NatWest. It is embedded in everyday workflows and supporting tens of thousands of employees.
The scale of adoption suggests a clear shift: artificial intelligence has moved from experimental tool to operating model. For customers, the changes promise faster service and more personalized insights. For staff, the impact is measured in hours saved and time redirected toward higher-value work.
As 2025 unfolds, NatWest’s approach offers a window into how major financial institutions are integrating AI not as a side project, but as a central pillar of their digital transformation.
