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Shares in NatWest soared to a decade peak on Thursday, spurred by the Government's ongoing efforts to diminish its ownership stake in the bank.

The blue-chip giant's stocks climbed close to one per cent in afternoon dealings, attaining highs of 498.8p on the stock market, as reported by .

A stunning uptick has been recorded for NatWest shares, with nearly 24 per cent escalation since the outset of 2025 and an impressive surge of over 50 per cent across the past twelve months.

This bullish performance coincides with the Government trimming its hold to a mere 0.9 per cent in the group, heralding an imminent full return to private ownership for the lender.

Originating from the dire days of the 2008 Financial Crisis, the Government poured £45.5bn into what was then Royal Bank of Scotland, to save it from collapse.

In the crisis aftermath, shares plummeted drastically, nosediving 96 per cent in just two years. The firm's historic pre-crash share price zenith of 5236.28p still utterly overshadows recent highs.

A spokesperson for NatWest Group noted: "Returning the bank to full private ownership is an ambition we share with the government, and one that we believe is in the interests of all our shareholders."

They added: "We welcome the progress that the Treasury continues to make, having reduced its shareholding in the bank from nearly 40 per cent in December 2023 to below one per cent today."