INSERT INFORMAL OPENING LINES So, why am I here? What do I want? Well, the main reason Im here is to listen. At NatWest/RBS these days, were obsessed with our customers. Being a really good bank fundamentally depends on understanding our customers businesses and sharing their ambitions. So Im investing a lot of my time getting out from behind the desk, out of the ofce, and getting into your world - the world in which you are competing each and every day. Its still hard out here. I recognise that. Weve got several thousand Relationship Managers spending quality time every day with the businesses of the one million SMEs they look afer and the feedback is that many of our customers still feel up against it. Were the only bank with an independent professional accreditation programme run by the Chartered Banker Institute, by the way. Weve a special programme in which our RMs each spend a couple of days a year working actually inside customers businesses, to really get to grips with our customers challenges and ambitions. My team are a fantastic resource. And they tell me very clearly that its still hard out there. And so do the hundreds of our customers that I meet personally every month. But theres also tremendous energy and optimism, innovation and success. And we ARE lending, whatever you might hear. NatWest/RBS lends more to small businesses than any other bank in the UK. As a group weve 20 billion to lend to support growth in our customers businesses. And, as I say, were punching well above our weight in lending to SMEs. Weve got a 24% market share of SME banking, but 35% of all SME loans and overdrafs. I think those are pretty striking numbers. Under the Governments Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme, were just one out of 42 providers, but were lending 40% of total funds; more than the next two largest lenders combined. Those are the facts, and I think they speak for themselves. So there is no doubt we are denitely lending. And we want to do more we want to grow business lending by next year and we have no limitations on our ability to do so. The future of business will look quite diferent, so the future of banking will need to be diferent too. Our customers tell us they want to do their banking whenever and wherever they want, so were now open 8 till 8 every weekday and 9 till 2 on Saturdays with the UKs most-used business banking app (with 100,000 downloads, being used on average 3 times a day per customer), and the UKs fastest-growing online business community, Bizcrowd. Ahead for Business 1 Business banking in the future will be about having a real understanding of what it takes to run a business. So our people connect our customers directly with the specialist expertise and the strength-in-depth of the entire RBS Group. We have partnerships with 20 trade associations and organisations, such as the NFU and Visit England [insert other examples of your choice and region]. Our relationship managers are trained in sectors and functions beyond banking. So far, that includes Energy, Women-led businesses, Healthcare, Farming, Real Estate, International Trade, Supply Chain, Risk, Social Media and Data. And in the future therell be more. In the future all banks will be expected to ofer this kind of in-depth expertise; at NatWest/RBS were doing it right now. Because we know that we can only succeed when our customers do. And our customers succeed when the communities they operate in thrive. Thats why all our staf can spend ve days each year volunteering their skills in the community. And why weve 350 Business Specialists helping over 100,000 start-ups get of the ground; and 180 business mentors, plus 10 Mobile Business Schools, 200 Start-up surgeries and 15 Business Academies per quarter, all supporting our customers ambitions. And its why were putting an extra 1.5m into womens enterprise support, which should empower 20,000 more women to unlock their enterprise potential by the end of 2015. Just one of a big clutch of programmes to support women-led businesses. We honestly think were miles ahead of the curve here, reaching those hard to reach places in the community and tapping into that unchannelled ambition. And this isnt some tokenistic attempt to give the bank a human face; its one of our core values and one were very, very proud of. Yes, its the right thing to do; but its also the right thing for our customers and our future customers. And therefore its the right thing for us and our business. And that - very briey - is who we are, and why Im here today. Im also here to listen. I may not have all the answers. However Im really looking forward to getting your perspective. Many thanks. Ahead for Business 2