Following NatWest's over £46 billion state rescue in 2008, UK Government Investments (UKGI), which manages the shares for the Treasury, said that the plan to strategically sell some of the British taxpayer's investment would now last until August 2025.
The initial one-year trading plan, published in the mid- 2021, was designed to sell up to 15% of the shares by drip-feeding them back into the private market. It was then extended through the middle of this year's August.
The government’s stake in NatWest Group – formerly known as the Royal Bank of Scotland Group – has fallen from 54.7% to 41.5% over that period.
The government gave no justification for prolonging the trading arrangement. The decision was made, nonetheless, as significant bank stocks, including NatWest, are currently experiencing volatility after last month's market panic caused by Silicon Valley Bank's demise.