Which UK banks are British owned?

Of the 68 UK banks and building societies in our ownership guide, 35 are British owned: 7 building societies owned by their members, 17 banking groups listed in London and 11 owned by British families, charities or trade unions. 17 are controlled from abroad, and 16 UK-founded banks are owned by investors with no British or foreign parent. Barclays, Lloyds, NatWest and HSBC UK are all British owned, through groups listed in London; Santander UK and TSB are owned by Spain's Banco Santander. Ownership is taken from the Companies House register of each company in the chain, checked 6 November 2026.

Building societies: owned by their members (7)

Building societies have no shareholders: their savers and borrowers own them. Brands they have bought, such as Virgin Money (Nationwide) and Chelsea (Yorkshire), are British owned too.

UK banking groups listed in London (17)

The big high-street groups and several specialist lenders. Supermarket banking now sits inside them: Tesco Bank is Barclays, M&S Bank is HSBC UK.

Privately owned British banks: families, charities and unions (11)

UK-founded, investor-owned banks with no British or foreign parent (16)

Founded in the UK but owned by venture, private-equity or private investors, some of them overseas, or through a holding company in Jersey. None has a British or foreign parent company.

Foreign-owned UK banks (17)

UK-licensed banks controlled from abroad. Their UK deposits are FSCS-protected like any UK bank's.

How we decided what counts as British owned

We followed each bank up its chain of owners on the Companies House register of people with significant control to the company or person at the top, and grouped it by who that is. A bank counts as British owned when it is a building society owned by its members, when the group at the top is incorporated in the UK and listed in London with no controlling shareholder, or when it is controlled by British families, charities or trade unions. Where the register stops, because a parent is listed or overseas, we used the bank's own accounts and announcements, cited in our guide to who owns which UK bank.

Two cases need care. HSBC and Standard Chartered are incorporated and headquartered in the UK and listed in London, but most of their business is in Asia; we count them as British owned and say so. Many app and specialist banks were founded in the UK but are owned by investors from many countries, or through a holding company in Jersey, with no single owner either way; we list them separately rather than call them British or foreign.

Does a foreign owner make a bank less safe?

Not for your deposits. Every bank on this page is a UK-licensed bank or building society, so eligible deposits are protected by the FSCS up to £120,000 per person per banking licence, whoever owns it. A UK subsidiary of an overseas group is regulated by the PRA and FCA like any other UK bank. A foreign branch is different: it is covered by its home country's scheme instead (FSCS protection explained). Ownership can matter to a bank's credit rating, because agencies weigh the strength of the group behind it (UK banks ranked by credit rating).

Frequently asked questions

Which UK banks are British owned?

Of the 68 UK banks and building societies in our ownership guide, 35 are British owned: 7 building societies owned by their members, 17 banking groups listed in London and 11 owned by British families, charities or trade unions. 17 are controlled from abroad, and 16 UK-founded banks are owned by investors with no British or foreign parent.

Is HSBC a British bank?

Yes. HSBC Holdings plc: incorporated in England, headquartered in London and listed in London and Hong Kong. Much of the group's business is in Asia. HSBC UK Bank plc, which holds UK customers' accounts, is a separately licensed UK bank.

Is Santander a British bank?

No. Santander UK is a UK-licensed bank owned by Banco Santander S.A. (Spain). Its UK deposits are FSCS-protected up to £120,000 per person.

Is TSB British owned?

No. TSB is owned by Banco Santander S.A. (Spain), through Santander UK since 30 April 2026.

Is Metro Bank British owned?

Not by control. Listed in London, but controlled (53.03%) by Colombian investor Jaime Gilinski Bacal through Spaldy Investments.

Are Monzo, Starling and Revolut British owned?

They were founded in the UK and have UK holding companies, but none has a British parent. Monzo: No controlling shareholder: owned by venture and growth investors. Starling: No controlling shareholder. The largest holder, with 25-50%, is a trust of Harald McPike-Zima, who is Austrian and lives in the Bahamas. Revolut: Revolut Group Holdings Ltd, a private UK company; co-founder Nik Storonsky, who is British, holds 25-50% and can appoint directors, and investors hold the rest.

Are building societies British owned?

Yes. A building society is owned by its members, its savers and borrowers, rather than by shareholders. Nationwide, Yorkshire, Coventry, Skipton, Leeds and Principality are all mutuals, and Nationwide now also owns Virgin Money.

Does it matter if my bank is foreign owned?

Not for deposit protection: a UK-licensed bank's eligible deposits are FSCS-protected up to £120,000 per person per banking licence whoever owns it. A foreign bank's UK branch is different, and is covered by its home country's scheme.