It’s difficult not to be suspicious when a bank launches an initiative that’s ‘less about banking, more about living,’ but on this occasion we’re prepared to give Natwest the benefit of the doubt.

The Natwest pilot project named ‘Living’ (launched yesterday) focuses on significant life moments such as moving house or planning a wedding rather than mortgages or interest rates, with branches in Shoreditch and Moorgate employing a more human-centred 'retail' approach to customer service.

This physical approach is also being combined with the launch of a series of new mobile apps (designed and developed by the public) as part of a wider move to engage with customers faster.

HouseMove is being developed as a standalone app that navigates customers through all the aspects of moving house - from planning finances through to finding legal support and removal companies. The app is also integrated with Zoopla to allow for property searches anywhere in the country.

ManageMoney has moved away from the traditional banking apps. Instead of focusing on historical data and giving a standard view of finances, it will provide more of a “window” into spending patterns, allowing people to plan and manage their money more effectively.

Spendorama is a series of games that give a new focus to how a person’s money can be wasted. One of the games, Spend Nothing, challenges users to do just that for a day.

In the latest journal we covered Society of Grownups, a new financial retail space that aims to educate young consumers who feel their banks have failed to provide guidance and support. It's good to see Natwest helping to educate their customers, in doing so they create a degree of transparency which ultimately builds trust.