RBS aims to help small firms build more connections

Royal Bank of Scotland will this week kick off a new initiative aimed at boosting growth among small businesses.

Royal Bank of Scotland's Gogarburn HQ will host the Boost launch event on Thursday. Picture: Greg Macvean

The lender said its free programme, dubbed Boost, will offer digital resources and support along with access to a team of 11 “business growth enablers”, operating across the country and providing hands-on expertise and training.

RBS, citing research that says a fifth of firms spend up to £1,000 to make a single business connection, will launch Boost at an event being held on Thursday at its Gogarburn headquarters on the outskirts of Edinburgh.

Marcelino Castrillo, managing director of business and private banking at RBS, said: “Small businesses represent 54 per cent of all private employment in Scotland. The sector is crucial to the economic success of the Scottish economy and it is important that as a bank for Scotland we do everything that we can to help them prosper.

“We aim to create a pathway to the correct networks and make it easier to find the resources people need at all stages of growth. We will also give small businesses access to specialist services.”

The free launch event at Gogarburn will feature a networking session as well as a series of workshops and presentations from the likes of KPMG, the Scottish Business Resilience Centre, WorldPay, Scottish Enterprise and Linkedin. Its economics team will also offer thoughts on the business outlook for the year ahead.

Malcolm Buchanan, chair of RBS’s Scottish board, said: “This is a great opportunity to help bring the people, talent and skills we have across the country together to help our entrepreneurs and industries prosper.”

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