NatWest Group Partners With IIT Delhi to Drive AI, Fintech Innovation in India

NatWest Group has partnered with the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi to accelerate innovation and strengthen industry-academia collaboration in India.

The collaboration, facilitated through IIT Delhi’s Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT), will focus on advancing research and pilot programmes across AI, fintech, cybersecurity, and other emerging technologies. The initiative aims to bridge academic research with real-world business applications while building a stronger pipeline of technology talent.

As FITT’s first partnership with a global bank, the initiative will bring together researchers, startups, and students to co-develop solutions aligned with industry needs. A key priority will be translating academic insights into scalable innovations that can address evolving customer demands in banking and financial services.

“This partnership reflects FITT’s core mission of translating cutting-edge research into real-world impact. By working closely with NatWest Group, we are creating a powerful model of industry-academia collaboration where innovation moves beyond labs into scalable solutions, while nurturing talent that is ready to solve complex global challenges,” Nikhil Aggarwal, Managing Director of FITT-IIT Delhi, mentioned in the release.

The move underscores NatWest’s broader strategy to deepen its innovation footprint in India, which the company views as a critical hub for technology and digital transformation.

“Working with leading universities like IIT Delhi helps us to shape the next generation of technology talent and the direction of innovation, strengthens our long-term ability to keep evolving, and supports our work to make banking simpler, safer and more effective for our customers,” Scott Marcar, Chief Information Officer, NatWest Group, stated.

Ruchika Panesar, Country Head, India and Chief Digital and Information Officer, Group Functions, NatWest Group, added that the collaboration will play a key role in strengthening the company’s capabilities in the region.

“Partnerships like this with IIT Delhi help us strengthen our talent pipeline and deepen our engagement with the academic and startup ecosystem, while accelerating innovation in customer experiences, technology, data and AI. Together, these collaborations enable us to build differentiated capabilities in India that deliver meaningful outcomes for the enterprise,” she said.

The partnership builds on NatWest’s continued investment in India, including the launch of its new office in Bengaluru last year.