- RBS International has returned a pre-tax operating profit of £194m in the first half of 2019. This is up 12% on the same period in 2018 and driven by a £26m increase in income.
- The bank’s operating expenses were £12m or 9.9% lower than H1 2018 (excluding strategic and conduct costs).
- RBS International saw strong customer demand for account opening, lending and saving across its local banking and institutional businesses.
- The bank is investing heavily in its digital channels to improve the customer and colleague experience. Customer usage of the NatWest International mobile app has increased by 9% since the start of the year with an average of 1.35 million logins monthly. The bank also completed the migration of institutional customers to a new, enhanced version of its multi-currency banking platform, eQ.
Andrew McLaughlin, CEO, RBS International said:
“The business produced a year-on-year growth in income and profit against the backdrop of heightened economic and political risk. This encouraging start to 2019 is a testament to the dedication of our 1,800 colleagues, the ambition of our customers and the diversity of our business model. We strive every day to make it easier for customers to use our platforms to support their banking, risk management and depository needs.”
