Mettle, NatWest’s free standalone digital business account, has announced that FreeAgent, the cloud based accountancy software for small businesses, is available free of charge for its customers.

New and existing customers of Mettle can now sign up to FreeAgent directly through the app free of charge in a matter of seconds, with transactions also being shared between the two apps immediately, using Application Programming Interface (API) technology.

This feature ensures all transactions are synced in real time, helping reduce the chance of admin errors or duplication.

FreeAgent’s standard pricing is between £150 to £260 annually, depending on the size of business, but through the partnership businesses signing up for Mettle won’t be charged for a FreeAgent subscription, for as long as they hold an active Mettle account and make at least one transaction a month.

FreeAgent chief executive Ed Molyneux said: "With faster data flow and greater visibility over business accounts - not to mention the fact that FreeAgent will be completely free to Mettle customers - we believe it’s the best offer on the market for the UK’s five million small business owners and self-employed workers.”

Ken Johnstone, chief product officer at Mettle, said: “FreeAgent share our passion for making it simpler to run a business, and by joining forces we now have one of the most compelling financial packages for small businesses in the UK.”

NatWest intends to build on this new partnership to provide sole trader, freelance and small businesses with simple, innovative solutions that help businesses start and grow with ease.

The partnership comes weeks after NatWest announced revised aspirations to help 50,000 new UK based businesses start by 2023, alongside helping 500,000 people become an entrepreneur.

NatWest’s wider programme of specific support for small businesses during the Coronavirus outbreak includes a package of £5 billion of working capital support for business which need urgent access to funding during this uncertain period.

The bank is participating in the government’s Coronavirus Business Interruption Scheme and has opened the scheme up to more business customers by offering loans from £5,000, available to sole traders and partnerships as well as limited companies.

NatWest also waived monthly hire fees for Point of Sale terminals from its payments product Tyl until the end of 2020, to support small business customers during the Coronavirus crisis.

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