NatWest joins quantum trial to detect fraud

NatWest has joined Digital Catapult’s Quantum Technology Access Programme (QTAP), delivered with the National Quantum Computing Centre’s (NQCC) SparQ programme. The bank is one of 11 organisations in the current cohort testing combinatorial optimisation and quantum machine learning use cases on real quantum hardware.

QTAP offers UK companies a guided pathway to assess quantum technologies, move concepts into trials and run hands-on experiments with expert support. The current phase runs until February 2027 and pairs Digital Catapult’s industry support with NQCC testbeds and access to ORCA Computing’s PT-2 quantum computer at NQCC. The programme is in its third year and includes trials across financial services, defence and security, supply chains and transport infrastructure.

NatWest will focus on detecting fraud and illicit activity inside large, complex transaction networks where patterns across many data points are hard for classical systems to evaluate quickly. CTA Fintech Solutions, another participant, will study how quantum techniques might optimise transaction flows during large-scale migrations from legacy systems to cloud platforms to reduce cost and increase resilience under regulation.

Health Innovation North West Coast is using QTAP to apply quantum methods to diagnostic modelling and treatment planning for thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), a rare and potentially life-threatening blood disorder. That project will use ORCA’s PT-2 compute resource with support from innovation consultants. The Rail Safety and Standards Board is testing transport-related use cases in the cohort.

Projects will examine algorithmic approaches such as combinatorial optimisation for routing and allocation problems, and quantum-enhanced machine learning for pattern detection in large datasets. Trials on the PT-2 machine will let teams compare quantum-assisted outputs with classical baselines to identify differences in speed, accuracy and resource use.

Previous QTAP participants include Vodafone, Airbus, Rolls-Royce, the Port of Dover and the UK Atomic Energy Authority. The current cohort is expected to deliver validated trials and to form new commercial and collaborative partnerships.

Simon Plant, deputy director for innovation at NQCC, described the SparQ partnership: “Through SparQ, we are helping organisations move from theory to practical exploration of quantum computing.” Paul Ceely, director of technology strategy at Digital Catapult, added: “Quantum computing is no longer a theoretical concept but a technology that is demonstrating its potential value through a variety of industrial and commercial applications.”

Organisers say results from the cohort will inform further industry engagement and help shape UK investment in quantum infrastructure and skills.