UK government sells £1.3bn of NatWest shares

Stake reduced to 38.6%

The UK government has sold £1.26bn of NatWest shares back to the bank as part of its plans to return it to private ownership.

The state's stake in the bank is now reduced to around 38.6%. At its peak, the government's shareholding was 84%. The full exit from NatWest is expected to occur by 2025-26, subject to market conditions, as announced in the Spring Budget. Hedge fund Marshall Wace ups short bet against NatWest Andrew Griffith, economic secretary to the Treasury, said the sale is "another major milestone in returning NatWest to full private ownership" as the government has now sold more than half of its shareholding. The full offloading of NatWest shares will take place "when it represents value f...