NatWest blocks bevy of apps in clampdown on unmonitorable comms

The full list of messaging apps officially blocked by Brit banking and insurance giant NatWest Group is more extensive than WhatsApp, Meta's Messenger, and Skype – as first reported.

BBC broke the news of the banking group formally banning the three apps on November 12, but The Register now understands the list also includes: Telegram; Signal; Viber; Snapchat; Discord; WeChat; and Line.

"Like many organizations, we only permit the use of approved channels for communicating about business matters, whether internally or externally," said a NatWest spokesperson.

Use of prohibited communication channels to discuss matters has been discouraged by the bank for years, although the formal ban which came into force on November 6 cements the policy.

NatWest's app-blocking applies only to company-issued devices and aims to improve oversight of official communications where necessary to protect itself, its customers, and staff from regulatory or legal issues. 

Those on the list of prohibited apps are thought to have limited or no routes to recover records if the bank is required to.

It's not a ban on specific social media apps, nor is NatWest declaring a war on end-to-end encrypted services. 

One common feature of all the prohibited communication channels, except for Skype, is that they all support disappearing messages – messages that are permanently deleted after a given time.

Should bank staff be discussing business matters, legal or otherwise, through these channels, there is no paper trail that can be used to carry out a thorough investigation into events, which may open it up to trouble.

This doesn't prevent such chats from taking place on other devices outside NatWest's remit, but that shouldn't be happening anyway, even if the bank could control personal device use.

It's a similar approach to that taken in other corners of the banking industry. For example, traders, investment bankers, and the like, have their calls and messages sent through Bloomberg Terminals monitored by compliance teams for the same reasons.

The move was made against a backdrop of fellow banks being served billions in fines for poor recordkeeping. The SEC has spent years issuing massive fines that cumulatively exceed $2 billion across Wall Street, affecting the likes of JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, BNY Mellon, CFTC, Invesco, and more.

There's also the small matter of the UK's government being at the center of a similar scandal involving ministers discussing government matters over WhatsApp.

An inquiry into the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic demanded officials surrender, among other things, a full transcript of WhatsApp messages.

The investigation revealed a litany of brow-raising findings. COVID era British prime minister Boris Johnson (2019 to July 2022, when he was forced to step down) initially refused to comply before revealing 5,000 messages were missing. It was also revealed that his counterpart, then-Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon, and other senior figures in seat of Scottish parliament Holyrood were instructed to delete their chats.

Former defense secretary Penny Mordaunt said two years' worth of chats were deleted, while then-chancellor and more recently ex-UK prime minister Rishi Sunak (2022 to July 2024) told the inquiry he was instructed to not save WhatsApp messages.

So, it's clear to see why blocking certain communication channels is of interest to regulators.

Speaking of which: Back in August, the UK's financial regulator, the FCA, was reportedly gearing up to survey City financial institutions about their use of encrypted messaging apps and how these were monitored.

The list of approved communication channels at NatWest, records from which can all be retrieved if necessary, includes Microsoft Teams and Teams chat​, Viva Engage​, Zoom and in-meeting chat, Outlook, Symphony Chat, and good old SMS. ®