NatWest Group plc held its Annual General Meeting, where Chair Rick Haythornthwaite and CEO Paul Thwaite addressed shareholders. Haythornthwaite highlighted the bank's transformation, emphasizing its profitability, strength, and customer focus. He expressed his commitment to shaping the bank's future and championing a growth agenda for the UK economy. Thwaite echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the bank's vital role in the lives of its 19 million customers and its contribution to the UK economy.
The CEO emphasized the bank's strong performance in 2023, citing sustainable profits and attractive returns. He outlined the bank's support for customers, including lending £9 billion into the UK economy, opening new accounts for entrepreneurs, and assisting retail banking customers with home purchases and re-mortgages. Thwaite expressed optimism about future opportunities and the bank's ability to grow with its customers by becoming a trusted partner to them.
Thwaite also highlighted the bank's priorities for the year ahead, with a focus on serving customers well to achieve disciplined and profitable growth. He emphasized the significant opportunities to drive further growth across the bank's three customer businesses and the importance of meeting customers' evolving needs.
Overall, the statements from the Annual General Meeting underscored NatWest Group's commitment to its customers, shareholders, and the UK economy, as well as its focus on sustainable growth and long-term value creation.