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About NatWest Group
NatWest Group, founded in 1727, is a British banking and insurance holding company based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Its main subsidiary companies are The Royal Bank of Scotland, NatWest, Ulster Bank and Coutts. Prior to a name-change in July 2020, it was known as Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) Group. After a massive bailout in 2008, a majority of RBS' shares were purchased by the UK Government. In 2014 the bank embarked on a restructuring process that saw it refocus on its business in the UK and Ireland. As part of this process it divested its ownership of Citizens Financial Group, the 13th largest bank in the United States, in 2015. As of 2020 it remains 61.93% UK Government owned, via UK Financial Investments (UKFI).
Website | https://www.natwestgroup.com/ |
Headquarters |
36 St Andrew Square
EH2 2YB Edinburgh Scotland
United Kingdom
|
CEO/chair |
Alison Rose CEO |
Supervisor | |
Annual report | Annual report 2020 |
Ownership |
listed on London Stock Exchange
Natwest Group is majority-owned by the UK government since 2008, which currently holds 61.93 % of the shares. |
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Policy Assessments
Banks, climate and energy
Bank policy scores on fossil fuel financing
A bank can obtain a total of 200 policy points for its overall fossil fuel policies; 120 possible points for oil and gas policies and 80 possible points for coal policies. Based on this score banks are then classified as laggards (0-50 points), followers (50.5-100 points), front runners (100.5-150 points) or leaders (150.5-200 points).
Bank policy scores on fossil fuel expansion
The scores for a bank's policies restricting expansion of fossil fuels - in each area, prohibitions against financing projects and/or companies expanding that area - are aggregated into a fossil fuel expansion policy score.
The point-based policy ranking for fossil fuel expansion consists of the following distribution:
- Coal mining: 14 points
- Coal power: 14 points
- Other coal: 7 points
- Tar sands: 9 points
- Arctic oil and gas: 9 points
- Offshore oil and gas: 9 points
- Fracked oil and gas: 9 points
- LNG: 9 points
- Other oil and gas: 9 points
A bank can obtain a total of 89 policy points for its fossil fuel expansion policy. Based on this score, banks are then classified as laggards (0-22.25 points), followers (22.25-44.5 points), front runners (44.5-66.75 points) or leaders (66.75-89 points).
Bank policy scores on oil and gas financing
For each of the six subsectors, 20 possible policy points can be obtained, so a bank can obtain a total of 120 policy points for its oil and gas policies. Based on this score banks are then classified as laggards (0-30 points), followers (30.5-60 points), front runners (60.5-90 points) or leaders (90.5-120 points).
Bank policy scores on tar sands
The point-based policy ranking above assesses bank policies in four ways:
1) Restriction on direct financing for tar sands projects.
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None (0), weak exclusion (1.5), moderate exclusion (3), strong exclusion (4)
2) Restriction on financing for companies that expand tar sands.
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None (0), weak exclusion (3), strong exclusion (5)
3) The bank’s commitment to phase-out financing for tar sands.
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None (0), reduction (1.5), weak phase-out (3), strong phase-out (5)
4) The bank’s commitment to exclude companies active in tar sands above a certain threshold.
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None (0), enhanced due diligence (0.5), weak exclusion threshold (2), strong exclusion threshold (5), full exclusion (6)
A bank can obtain a total of 20 policy points for its tar sands policy. Based on this score banks are then classified as laggards (0-5 points), followers (5.5-10 points), front runners (10.5-15 points) or leaders (15.5-20 points).
Bank policy scores on Arctic oil and gas
The point-based policy ranking assesses bank policies in four ways:
1) Restriction on direct financing for Arctic oil and gas projects.
- None (0), weak exclusion (1.5), moderate exclusion (3), strong exclusion (4)
2) Restriction on financing for companies that expand Arctic oil and gas.
- None (0), weak exclusion (3), strong exclusion (5)
3) The bank’s commitment to phase-out financing for Arctic oil and gas.
- None (0), reduction (1.5), weak phase-out (3), strong phase-out (5)
4) The bank’s commitment to exclude companies active in Arctic oil and gas above a certain threshold.
- None (0), enhanced due diligence (0.5), weak exclusion threshold (2), strong exclusion threshold (5), full exclusion (6)
A bank can obtain a total of 20 policy points for its Arctic oil and gas policy. Based on this score banks are then classified as laggards (0-5 points), followers (5.5-10 points), front runners (10.5-15 points) or leaders (15.5-20 points).
Bank policy scores on offshore oil and gas
The point-based policy ranking assesses bank policies in four ways:
1) Restriction on direct financing for offshore oil and gas projects.
- None (0), weak exclusion (1.5), strong exclusion (4)
2) Restriction on financing for companies that expand offshore oil and gas.
- None (0), weak exclusion (3), strong exclusion (5)
3) The bank’s commitment to phase-out financing for offshore oil and gas.
- None (0), reduction (1.5), weak phase-out (3), strong phase-out (5)
4) The bank’s commitment to exclude companies active in offshore oil and gas above a certain threshold.
- None (0), enhanced due diligence (0.5), weak exclusion threshold (2), strong exclusion threshold (5), full exclusion (6)
A bank can obtain a total of 20 policy points for its offshore oil and gas policy. Based on this score banks are then classified as laggards (0-5 points), followers (5.5-10 points), front runners (10.5-15 points) or leaders (15.5-20 points).
Bank policy scores on fracked oil and gas
The point-based policy ranking assesses bank policies in four ways:
1) Restriction on direct financing for fracked oil and gas projects.
- None (0), weak exclusion (1.5), moderate exclusion (3), strong exclusion (4)
2) Restriction on financing for companies that expand oil and gas fracking.
- None (0), weak exclusion (3), strong exclusion (5)
3) The bank’s commitment to phase-out financing for oil and gas fracking.
- None (0), reduction (1.5), weak phase-out (3), strong phase-out (5)
4) The bank’s commitment to exclude companies active in oil and gas fracking above a certain threshold.
- None (0), enhanced due diligence (0.5), weak exclusion threshold (2), strong exclusion threshold (5), full exclusion (6)
A bank can obtain a total of 20 policy points for its fracking policy. Based on this score banks are then classified as laggards (0-5 points), followers (5.5-10 points), front runners (10.5-15 points) or leaders (15.5-20 points).
Bank policy scores on LNG
The point-based policy ranking assesses bank policies in four ways:
1) Restriction on direct financing for LNG projects.
- None (0), weak exclusion (1.5), strong exclusion (4)
2) Restriction on financing for companies that expand LNG.
- None (0), weak exclusion (3), strong exclusion (5)
3) The bank’s commitment to phase-out financing for LNG.
- None (0), reduction (1.5), weak phase-out (3), strong phase-out (5)
4) The bank’s commitment to exclude companies active in LNG above a certain threshold.
- None (0), enhanced due diligence (0.5), weak exclusion threshold (2), strong exclusion threshold (5), full exclusion (6)
A bank can obtain a total of 20 policy points for its LNG policy. Based on this score banks are then classified as laggards (0-5 points), followers (5.5-10 points), front runners (10.5-15 points) or leaders (15.5-20 points).
Bank policy scores on other/conventional oil and gas
The point-based policy ranking assesses bank policies in four ways:
1) Restriction on direct financing for other/conventional oil and gas projects.
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None (0), weak exclusion (1.5), strong exclusion (4)
2) Restriction on financing for companies that expand other/conventional oil and gas.
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None (0), weak exclusion (3), strong exclusion (5)
3) The bank’s commitment to phase-out financing for other/conventional oil and gas.
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None (0), reduction (1.5), weak phase-out (3), strong phase-out (5)
4) The bank’s commitment to exclude companies active in other/conventional oil and gas above a certain threshold.
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None (0), enhanced due diligence/Equator Principles commitment (0.5), weak exclusion threshold (2), strong exclusion threshold (5), full exclusion (6)
A bank can obtain a total of 20 policy points for its other/conventional oil and gas policy. Based on this score banks are then classified as laggards (0-5 points), followers (5.5-10 points), front runners (10.5-15 points) or leaders (15.5-20 points).
Bank policy scores on coal financing
For both coal mining and coal power, 32 possible policy points can be obtained, while for other coal,16 possible policy points can be obtained. So a bank can obtain a total of 80 policy points for its coal policies. Based on this score banks are then classified as laggards (0-20 points), followers (20.5-40 points), front runners (40.5-60 points) or leaders (60.5-80 points).
Bank policy scores on coal mining
The point-based policy ranking assesses bank policies in four ways:
1) Restriction on direct financing for coal mining projects.
- None (0), mountaintop removal mining exclusion (0.5), weak exclusion (2), moderate exclusion (4), strong exclusion (6)
2) Restriction on financing for companies that expand coal mining.
- None (0), weak exclusion (4), strong exclusion (8)
3) The bank’s commitment to phase-out financing for coal mining.
- None (0), exposure reduction (1.5), financing reduction (3), weak phase-out (4), moderate phase-out (6), strong phase-out (8)
4) The bank’s commitment to exclude companies active in coal mining above a certain threshold.
- None (0), enhanced due diligence (0.5), weak exclusion threshold (3), moderate exclusion threshold (5), strong exclusion threshold (8), full exclusion (10)
A bank can obtain a total of 32 policy points for its coal mining policy. Based on this score banks are then classified as laggards (0-8 points), followers (8.5-16 points), front runners (16.5-24 points) or leaders (24.5-32 points).
Bank policy scores on coal power
The point-based policy ranking assesses bank policies in four ways:
1) Restriction on direct financing for coal power projects.
- None (0), weak exclusion (2), moderate exclusion (4), strong exclusion (6)
2) Restriction on financing for companies that expand coal power.
- None (0), weak exclusion (4), strong exclusion (8)
3) The bank’s commitment to phase-out financing for coal power.
- None (0), proportional reduction (1), exposure reduction (1.5), financing reduction (3), weak phase-out (4), moderate phase-out (6), strong phase-out (8)
4) The bank’s commitment to exclude companies active in coal power above a certain threshold.
- None (0), enhanced due diligence (0.5), weak exclusion threshold (3), moderate exclusion threshold (5), strong exclusion threshold (8), full exclusion (10)
A bank can obtain a total of 32 policy points for its coal power policy. Based on this score banks are then classified as laggards (0-8 points), followers (8.5-16 points), front runners (16.5-24 points) or leaders (24.5-32 points).
Bank policy scores on coal infrastructure
The point-based policy ranking assesses bank policies in four ways:
1) Restriction on direct financing for coal infrastructure projects.
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None (0), weak exclusion (1), strong exclusion (3)
2) Restriction on financing for companies that expand coal infrastructure.
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None (0), weak exclusion (2), strong exclusion (4)
3) The bank’s commitment to phase-out financing for coal infrastructure.
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None (0), exposure reduction (1), weak phase-out (2), strong phase-out (4)
4) The bank’s commitment to exclude companies active in coal infrastructure above a certain threshold.
-
None (0), enhanced due diligence (0.5), weak exclusion threshold (2), strong exclusion threshold (4), full exclusion (5)
A bank can obtain a total of 16 policy points for its coal infrastructure policy. Based on this score banks are then classified as laggards (0-4 points), followers (4.5-8 points), front runners (8.5-12 points) or leaders (12.5-16 points)
News
Documents
Media
Video links
Links
Policies
Voluntary initiatives
NatWest Group has committed itself to the following voluntary standards:- Banking Environment Initiative
- Carbon Disclosure Project
- Collective Commitment to Climate Action (CCCA)
- Dow Jones Sustainability Indices
- Equator Principles
- Global Reporting Initiative
- International Labour Organization Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work
- OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises
- Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF)
- Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB)
- Soft Commodities Compact
- Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures
- Thun Group on Human Rights
- UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
- UNEP Finance Initiative
- United Nations Global Compact
- Universal Declaration of Human Rights
- Wolfsberg Principles
Investment policies
NatWest Group's web page on corporate social responsibility can be accessed here.
Equator Principles
Implementation and reporting
NatWest Group is reporting on the implementation here.