NatWest Group
Source: gov.uk (2025-11-10)

We, the undersigned, commit to honour the Armed Forces Covenant and support the Armed Forces Community. We recognise the value Serving Personnel, both Regular and Reservists, Veterans and military families contribute to our business and our country.

The Armed Forces Covenant

An enduring covenant between the people of the United Kingdom, Her Majesty’s Government and all those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces of the Crown and their families

The first duty of Government is the defence of the realm. Our Armed Forces fulfil that responsibility on behalf of the Government, sacrificing some civilian freedoms, facing danger and, sometimes, suffering serious injury or death as a result of their duty. Families also play a vital role in supporting the operational effectiveness of our Armed Forces. In return, the whole nation has a moral obligation to the members of the Naval Service, the Army and the Royal Air Force, together with their families. They deserve our respect and support, and fair treatment.

Those who serve in the Armed Forces, whether Regular or Reserve, those who have served in the past, and their families, should face no disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services. Special consideration is appropriate in some cases, especially for those who have given most such as the injured and the bereaved.

This obligation involves the whole of society: it includes voluntary and charitable bodies, private organisations, and the actions of individuals in supporting the Armed Forces. Recognising those who have performed military duty unites the country and demonstrates the value of their contribution. This has no greater expression than in upholding this Covenant.

Section 1: Principles of the Armed Forces Corporate Covenant

1.1 We NatWest Group will endeavour in our business dealings to uphold the key principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, which are:
- no member of the Armed Forces Community should face disadvantage in the provision of public and commercial services compared to any other citizen;
- and in some circumstances that special treatment may be appropriate especially for the injured or bereaved.
Section 2: Demonstrating our commitment

2.1 NatWest Group recognises the value serving personnel, reservists, veterans and military families bring to our business. We will seek to uphold the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, by pledging to the following:
- Armed Forces Friendly
- UK Service Veterans And Leavers
- UK Service Spouses And Partners
- Flexible Leave For Spouses
- UK Reservists
- UK Cadets
- Armed Forces Day
- Reserve Forces Day
- Discounts
- Armed Forces Charities
- UK Wounded, Injured And Sick
We also pledge the following:

Ensuring that Members of the Armed Forces have access to financial services that meet their unique needs: Specialist Military Banking Facilities for serving personnel, dependants, Regiments and Units provided by Holt s Military Banking, Official Agent appointed by the MOD. Bespoke Current Account Opening Processes ensure serving personnel and their dependants are not disadvantaged as a result of overseas posting via Holts Military Banking. Tailored lending products available via Holts Military Banking, which take into account Serving Personnels Rank, Geographical Location and Retirement Plans. Applications for credit will be treatedfairly and consistently with civilian counterparts ensuring there are no disadvantages as a result of overseas postings. We will continue to support the Forces Help to Buy Scheme to enable more serving personnel to purchase their own home and enable them to rent the property out when serving overseas at no additional cost. Provision of financial advice and account opening through attendance at PreDeployment Briefings and Officer Cadet Fresher Fairs. Supporting our employees who choose to be members of the Reserve forces, by: Supporting SaBRE to raise employee awareness of Reservist opportunities, and where appropriate target communications to staff possessing skills that meet the needs of Specialist Units. Providing 10 days paid leave to attend training. Enabling staff to take additional unpaid leave to participate in mobilisation activities. Continuation of RBSelect benefits whilst on active service. Continuation of RBS plc Group Pension Scheme. Enabling phase back to work after periods of extended leave whilst on full pay and benefits. Entitlement to return to former role (or one that is no less favourable than the role they occupied before mobilisation). Access to Lifematters- our employee assistance programme, which offers support and advice on a whole range of topics including; personal matters, health, family & finances. Supporting spouses and partners of Serving Personnel by; Adopting a sympathetic and flexible approach to requests for leave from spouses or partners of Serving Personnel as part of our overall commitment to ensure all requests are treated fairly and consistently and based on the circumstances of the individual. Providing special leave for employees who are bereaved or have partners that have been injured on active service, in line with our polices on compassionate leave. Wherever possible support staff wishing to move (in order to accompany spouse/partner to new posting) to find alternative employment within RBS pic or agree a flexible working arrangement. Supporting Veterans by: Working with Veterans Associations, seeking to support the employment of veterans of all ages. Working with the Career Transition Partnership (CTP), in order to establish an employment pathway for Service Leavers. Attending military recruitment and awareness events. Supporting the Armed Forces Community by: Providing support to Reserves, Veterans, Dependants and Cadets through continued development of the Armed Forces Employee Led Network. Providing financial capability training delivered through the Army Initial Training Group to all recruits at Phase 1 locations (Initial Training Centres). Demonstrating we are Proud to Support our Armed Forces by participating in Armed Forces Day Activities. Encouraging our Reservists to wear their uniform on Reserves Day. Honouring and remembering ourfallen colleagues through the care of over 300 war memorials, development of the RES Remembers 1914-1918 Website and holding an annual Service of Remembrance on Armistice Day. Supporting the Royal British Legion to raise funds through a national branch based Poppy Appeal. Enabling all staff to support Armed Forces Charities by making tax-free donations through the Payroll Giving Programme and providing a minimum of 3 days Volunteering Leave. Military Charities which support people to learn new skills, gain employment, or start a business, may be able to apply for grant funding through the Skills & Opportunities Fund subject to meeting the eligibility criteria’. Promoting the fact that we are an Armed Forces-friendly organisation by; Publicising our support of the Armed Forces through internal and external communications channels including our Corporate and Customer Websites as appropriate. Displaying the Corporate Covenant logo on our recruitment website. Committing to regularly reviewing progress against these commitments through the establishment of a pan-bank Executive Steering Group.

2.2 We will publicise these commitments through our literature and/or on our website, setting out how we will seek to honour them and inviting feedback from the Service community and our customers on how we are doing.