NatWest has announced plans to extend its Financial Foundations programme to 50,000 people throughout 2026, delivering free financial education through workplaces and community organisations. The UK-based bank's initiative brings colleague expertise directly to employment and community settings to build money management capability.

Business News Wales reports that the programme supports public and private sector organisations, including large corporates such as Vodafone, local authorities including Enfield Council, and social housing providers like West Granton Housing Cooperative. The bank delivers practical sessions to employees and tenants at no cost to participating organisations.

First piloted in late 2024 across northern England, the programme delivered more than 1,500 workshops to approximately 800 businesses and 32,000 people throughout 2025. The initiative is now open to all businesses and community groups across the bank's operating regions.

Solange Chamberlain, chief executive of retail banking at NatWest, said: "Financial capability and confidence is a vital but often underestimated part of our economic infrastructure, helping people build financial resilience and plan for their future, strengthening communities from the inside out."

She noted that the bank has maintained a 30-year commitment to improving financial education through partnerships with schools and youth clubs. The expansion of Financial Foundations represents an opportunity to reach more young adults and families by taking colleague expertise into served communities.

Lucy Rigby KC MP, economic secretary to the Treasury, said understanding how to save, budget and protect against fraud are key to building financial health. She described the introduction of compulsory financial education in primary schools as a game changer for equipping the next generation with vital skills.

The programme aims to deliver practical benefits to both employers and individual participants, supporting workforce financial wellbeing alongside personal money management capability.

Follow the full details on how Financial Foundations is scaling workplace financial education delivery.