The NatWest Group has made a minority investment in Serene, an early-stage AI platform which aims to tackle financial vulnerability.

The platform combines AI and behavioural science with real-time customer insights to detect early stages of financial distress and predicts risks to help financial institutions respond with personalised support at scale.

NatWest said the investment supports its commitment to aiding customers who are experiencing financial difficulty.

The bank added that the partnership has the potential to refine the bank’s existing models, improve customer insight, and provide opportunities for cross-industry collaboration.

NatWest said that its continued support of Serene, which joined its accelerator programme for start-ups in 2023, will help the company grow at speed.

“As people continue to adapt to an ever-changing world, it’s important for us to be a trusted partner who can anticipate, understand and respond to customers’ changing needs – technology is helping us to do this faster and more effectively,” said David Grunwald, director of innovation and partnerships at NatWest Group. “Platforms like Serene show the potential of tools like AI to improve outcomes for customers, in this case, by quickly identifying vulnerabilities to play a positive role across the financial system.”

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