In a bid to cater for the growing Polish community in Britain, banking group NatWest has introduced the first dedicated Polish bank account in the UK, offering both current account services and access to customers' funds in Poland.
The NatWest Welcome Account has been specifically launched to meet the banking needs of Polish-speaking migrants. It is the first UK bank account for which all services are delivered and supported in Polish, including telephone and internet banking, as well as a telephony unit staffed by Polish speakers.
There are around 300,000 Polish speakers working in Britain. The bank conducted research among existing Polish-speaking communities, revealing their primary concern to be the need to transfer money to family members in Poland through a cost-effective and secure method.
The new product offers account holders the usual services to assist in their day to day needs while simultaneously offering a Money Transfer Account, allowing a family member or friend in Poland, to be nominated at the opening of the account, to withdraw funds from that account via a cash machine in Poland or anywhere in the world.
The NatWest Welcome Account offers an entirely unique service. The typical Polish speaker in the UK is a young, skilled professional who is here to work hard and save money, said Helen Page, NatWest marketing director. Things aren’t always easy when you move to a new country, so NatWest is trying to make life a bit more straightforward by ensuring that banking doesn’t pose an additional worry.
The launch of the NatWest Welcome Account is just the latest example of recent moves to remedy financial difficulties migrants may encounter when moving to the UK. Lloyds TSB recently announced the launch of its ‘superstore’ for international customers, which also places a strong emphasis on assisting Polish migrants.