UK’s NatWest Group Announces AI focused Startups for Fintech Program

NatWest has revealed the eight AI-focused startups chosen for its 2026 Fintech Program, marking a significant step in the bank’s drive to nurture Britain’s technology innovators. The announcement came during a London launch event tied to UK Fintech Week, where founders gathered for a roundtable discussion with senior NatWest leaders. The selection followed a fiercely competitive nationwide call for applications, highlighting the growing role of artificial intelligence in reshaping financial services.

NatWest explained that the program centers on the theme “How AI is Shaping the Future of Customer Experience.” Over the next 12 weeks, the cohort—comprising pre-Series A and Series A companies—will develop safe, responsible, and customer-first AI tools.

These solutions target pressing issues such as improving personalization and accessibility, supporting vulnerable clients, strengthening defenses against financial crime, and streamlining compliance and risk processes.

Participants will collaborate directly with NatWest’s Open Innovation team, receive guidance from top executives, and join workshops and events that connect them to the bank’s broader innovation network.

The selected firms demonstrate a range of practical AI applications.

Aveni has built a specialized platform for financial services that uses custom language models to power intelligent customer conversations while delivering instant compliance checks and conduct-risk monitoring.

Condukt offers a persistent, agent-based compliance system that automates real-time onboarding and decision-making across every stage of the customer journey.

DeepFlow provides an orchestration layer that links separate systems for financial-crime and risk operations, increasing speed and accuracy without removing human oversight.

Empath_AI employs vocal-biomarker analysis to help banks spot and assist customers who may be experiencing vulnerability but do not openly express it.

Galveston Group has created an AI-native intelligence tool that tracks live global events and instantly maps their effects on investment portfolios, trading positions, and balance-sheet exposure.

Gradient Labs develops purpose-built AI agents that handle complex customer-support and operational tasks in banking, complete with built-in safeguards. Murphy AI delivers an AI-first platform for debt collections, where autonomous agents improve repayment experiences and lower costs.

Finally, Round Treasury has designed an intelligent treasury and payments hub that unifies banking, liquidity, foreign exchange, and automations across more than 2,000 institutions in real time.

David Grunwald, NatWest Group’s Director of Innovation, said the cohort stands out for its creative use of AI to seize new opportunities and solve real challenges.

He noted that the firms are advancing safer AI deployment, better protection for vulnerable customers, sharper risk management, and simpler business banking—areas that directly benefit both banks and their clients.

This initiative forms a core part of NatWest’s long-term innovation strategy and its “Growing Together” commitment to back UK founders and drive economic growth.

Several graduates from the previous year’s program moved on to deeper collaborations, including live pilots with the bank. By investing in these early-stage teams, NatWest continues to strengthen its position as a key partner to the fintech ecosystem.