0839 GMT - NatWest's commercial and institutional unit reflects the strength of its business franchise, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods says in a research note after the U.K. bank hosted a deep-dive on the division, which it said had a good start of the year. "Clearly subject to wider U.K. economic drivers, management do see particular growth opportunities in the Mid-Market sector where they bank 1 in 4 customers, contributing around a quarter of group income," analysts Edward Firth and Elise Yu Ge write. They note that innovation, social housing and trade finance are particular areas of interest, adding that the recent AI rollout could potentially improve costs while moving towards a model of origination and distribution that is positive for capital efficiency. Shares trade at 456.5 pence and are up 14% year to date. (elena.vardon@wsj.com)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 27, 2025 04:39 ET (08:39 GMT)
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