On Thursday, June 6, 2025, NatWest, the largest retail bank in the UK, experienced a significant tech outage that affected over customers, preventing them from accessing mobile banking. Users across the UK who predominantly use the bank’s app for routine banking needs were left in the dark as the outage began in the early hours and continued for many hours.
When numerous customers were eager to finalize vital transactions, they were unable to log in, review their accounts, or make payments. The event sparked mass criticism and fresh debate about the stability of digital banking infrastructure.
Reports from Customers
As the outage continued, users took to social media platforms to express their frustration and demand a solution. By 6:30 a.m. BST, reports of frozen screens, failed logins, and lost account details were flooding in. Before 9:00 a.m., Reddit, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter) were inundated with thousands of complaints, reflecting widespread customer dissatisfaction.
One customer posted, “I can’t access my account. I was unable to pay my rent, and the app won’t even load.” “How is this acceptable in 2025?” “I have zero access to my cash on payday,” another customer commented. NatWest needs to sort this out immediately.
As of 9:15 a.m., the monitoring website Downdetector had recorded more than 14,000 reports, confirming a significant increase in trouble reports. Although some customers also reported issues with online banking through web browsers, they directed most complaints towards problems with the mobile app.
NatWest Reacts
The bank’s tech team began to diagnose the problem immediately and attempted to identify its cause. Engineers identified a bug in the backend software, a small error in the code that disrupted user authentication processes prior to the end of the morning. The teams restored increasing access to the mobile banking application after implementing a patch to correct the error.
NatWest posted an official message at 12:41 p.m., announcing that the issue with the mobile app had been resolved. Customers should be able to access the app and log in as usual. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience.
Electronic Systems
The incident raised doubts about the reliability of banking computer infrastructure despite NatWest managing to reinstate access by noon. According to specialists, with millions of users relying on live access to services, minor backend breakdowns can lead to cascading interruptions.
Technology analyst Marcus Holbrook explained that the problem likely originated in the bank’s identity verification layers or session management systems. If not addressed promptly, such issues can hinder mass access. With a significant portion of the population now relying on mobile banking, even brief interruptions could have serious financial implications, underscoring the potential severity of the situation.
NatWest confirmed that client information or internal banking systems were not affected by the flaw. To prevent such interruptions from happening again in the future, the bank has vowed to conduct a thorough analysis and implement stricter processes.
Regulatory Authorities
While they continue to monitor disruptions closely, the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the regulatory bodies responsible for overseeing the stability and reliability of financial institutions, have yet to issue a public statement about the outage. Regulators have issued formal reviews and warnings to big institutions about the frequency and severity of tech breakdowns following previous incidents.
Under today’s FCA regulations, banks must inform customers immediately and maintain robust critical IT systems. Authorities can implement regulatory measures, such as penalties or mandatory system adjustments, following repeated breakdowns.
Based on regulatory authorities, this event could spur a renewed call for mandatory backup plans, particularly for banks and mobile-first apps that are clients’ sole interface.
Bank
NatWest moved quickly to avoid damage to its reputation. The bank issued a press release that afternoon that it will review its digital business and make additional steps to enhance platform stability.
The spokeswoman said, “We understand the importance of uninterrupted access to digital banking.” “We are taking comprehensive steps to enhance response times to technical outages, harden our systems, and enhance frequency of testing.”
Moreover, NatWest also encouraged users to provide feedback through its website and mobile app, suggesting that the bank aims to improve resilience and customer experience in the long term.
