Government raises £1.1 billion from sell-down of NatWest Group shareholding
The government has successfully completed a £1.1 billion sale of part of its holding in NatWest Group plc (NatWest, formerly the Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc), it announced today (19 March 2021).
![](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a37db09e5274a79051c9235/s300_HMT_buiding_plaque.jpg)
The shares were bought back by NatWest.
This is the government’s third sale of its NatWest shareholding, bringing it down from 61.7% to 59.8% after cancellation of shares by NatWest.
It represents an important step in the government’s plan to return institutions brought into public ownership as a result of the 2007-2008 financial crisis to private ownership.
NatWest bought back c.591 million shares at 190.5p per share, worth a total of £1.1 billion, in an off-market purchase. The process was authorised by the Chancellor Rishi Sunak and managed by UK Government Investments (UKGI).