NatWest Group plc (NWG), a British banking and insurance holding company, on Friday reported higher fourth-quarter profit, supported by strong growth in total income despite a rise in impairment losses and tax charges.
Additionallt, the company said it plans to commence a share buyback programme of £750 million in the first half of 2026.
Operating profit before tax increased 30% to £1.940 billion from £1.492 billion in the same quarter last year.
Profit before impairment losses rose 33.2% to £2.076 million from £1.558 million a year earlier.
Profit attributable to ordinary shareholders climbed to £1.393 billion or 17.4p per basic share, compared with £1.248 billion or 15.3p per basic share in the prior-year quarter.
Impairment losses widened to £136 million from £66 million, and the tax charge increased to £462 million from £233 million in the same period last year.
Total income grew 13% to £4.324 billion from £3.825 billion last year, driven by a 15.9% increase in net interest income to £3.441 billion, while non-interest income edged up 3% to £883 million.
Assets under management and administration (AUMA) increased 19.6% to £58.5 billion.
The company proposed a final dividend of 23 pence per share, bringing the total dividend for the year to 32.5 pence, up 51% from the previous year.
For 2026, the company expects total income excluding notable items to be in the range of £17.2 billion to £17.6 billion.
On Thursday, NWG shares closed at $16.33, down 2.51%, on the NYSE.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Business News
April 24, 2026 15:15 ET Economics news flow was relatively light this week even as the conflict in the Middle East continued, raising concerns for policymakers. In the U.S., spending data, initial jobless claims and pending home sales were the highlights. Business confidence in the biggest euro area economy was in focus in Europe. Inflation data from Japan gained attention in Asia.