NatWest appoints Mettle’s first CEO

Marieke Flament

Ms Flament will be leading Mettle’s roll out as it becomes available in the App store from August.

NatWest is the first high street bank to launch a digital bank for the UK’s millions of small and medium sized entrepreneurs.

Launched last November, Mettle is specifically designed to make it easier for entrepreneurs and growing businesses to manage their finances; providing a seamless, end to end platform and combining a current account with invoicing, payment chasing and bookkeeping capabilities.

Ms Flament’s experience leading disruptive and innovative businesses, most recently gained from crypto finance company Circle where she worked as their European managing director and global chief marketing officer, means she is well positioned to lead Mettle into this  next stage.

She will join Mettle equipped with a strategy background and experience in a fintech market with constantly evolving regulation.

Mettle is just one example of an innovative solution coming out of the bank’s portfolio of initiatives, ventures and products to better support SMEs across the UK – with new features continually being developed in response to customer needs.

Automated lending platform ESME, which announced in March it has now lent over £50 million to UK businesses; NatWest Tyl - the bank’s re-entry into the merchant acquiring market as announced last month; and NatWest APtimise, the UK’s only end to end accounts payable solution – all offer business customers more choices in banking.

Alison Rose, deputy CEO of NatWest Holdings and CEO of commercial & private banking at RBS, said: “I am proud to have overseen the incredible pipeline of innovation which we, as a bank, are determined will help SMEs and entrepreneurs to succeed. Digital banking is now rooted in everyday life for businesses in the UK, and we’re excited to be a part of this development with Mettle. SME banking is an important part of our commercial offering as we work with businesses from inception and launch through to profitable success. We’re committed to supporting entrepreneurs and SMEs across the UK by equipping them with the tools, advice and access they need to start, scale and grow their businesses. I am thrilled that Marieke is joining Mettle to drive forward this mission and establish a leadership position in SME digital banking. She has a proven track record of breaking boundaries in the finance sector, and hands-on knowledge of adapting to a constantly evolving tech landscape and providing new innovative solutions to meet customers’ needs.” 

Marieke Flament said: “I am delighted to soon be joining Mettle at this exciting time. With SMEs making up 99 per cent of all businesses in the UK, there is a huge opportunity for disruption in SME digital banking. Insight and feedback garnered during the pilot stage have shown that we are in a very strong position to capitalise on this opportunity through Mettle. I am looking forward to joining this talented team as we deliver an innovative and agile solution to help growing businesses better manage their finances, making it easier for owners to get paid, control costs and stay compliant.”