NatWest has announced plans to dramatically expand its Accelerator community, with an ambition to support 50,000 entrepreneurs across the UK in 2026 – a five-fold increase on the target it set for 2025.
The move follows a standout year for the programme, during which the bank supported around 12,000 founders. That figure exceeds the total number of entrepreneurs the Accelerator had backed over the previous decade combined, highlighting the rapid acceleration in both scale and impact.
The expansion forms part of NatWest’s new five-point Growing Together plan, which outlines how the bank intends to support long-term UK growth. The strategy focuses on backing regional economies, championing mid-market businesses, strengthening infrastructure and housing, improving financial confidence among families and young people, and supporting the innovators shaping the future economy.
NatWest said it believes banks have a role to play beyond providing finance, using their regional footprint, expertise and convening power to bring together businesses, communities and policymakers to help remove structural barriers to growth and unlock productivity across the UK.
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