NatWest will match customer donations to the National Emergencies Trust coronavirus appeal, through an initiative with the potential to raise up to £10 million.

From Friday April 3, the bank will be matching donations of up to £5 million made by its customers to the National Emergencies Trust, until the end of June.

This will apply to donations made by NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland reward account customers made via the MyRewards scheme in their online banking.

These customers build up rewards which are earned by holding two or more direct debits as well as cashback on certain types of spending. Rewards can be redeemed as cash or donated.

The donation matching programme aims to help unlock customers’ unused rewards to support the fight against coronavirus.

Alison Rose, chief executive, NatWest Group, said: “We are continuing to support people, communities and businesses across the UK and are proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with our customers to support the organisations that are helping to manage the impacts of coronavirus.”