NatWest struggles to explain mobile app outage

NatWest Group PLC's (LSE:NWG) online banking app was down for several hours, hitting thousands of users who have reported various error messages when attempting to log in.

The app was unavailable since around 5:40 am, according to Downdetector.

A page on the lender's website suggested checking WiFi settings and updating the app, but the issue seemed to be with NatWest's servers.

NatWest reassured customers that they can still use their cards to make payments and withdraw cash from ATMs, branches, and the Post Office.

"Some of our customers are experiencing issues when trying to log in to our mobile app," NatWest said on its website. "We’re sorry for any inconvenience caused and we’re working hard getting everything back up and running for you."

Many customers reported problems on X.

By almost 11am, NatWest's tech team said its digital banking services were back up.

They “should now be working as expected” now, customer service team members said, telling complaining customers on social media to “try logging in as normal”.

However, the bank's service updates page still continued to indicate the mobile app was facing a "service disruption" until almost midday, with some customers still not able to view their credit card information.

NatWest is still partly owned by the UK government, which took a stake during the financial crisis. Plans to offer some of those shares to the public are now uncertain, especially after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a general election.