Nationwide has identified and acted on a hidden form of financial abuse in a way that could influence the whole banking sector. With 7 million app users able to benefit, this is a focused intervention with very large potential reach. 

Nationwide is addressing payments abuse, a hidden form of domestic and economic abuse where perpetrators use payment references to send threatening or coercive messages through everyday banking. For survivors, even receiving money can become a source of fear, making routine banking unsafe and blocking financial independence. Nationwide has developed the first high street banking feature that lets customers hide abusive payment references in the app, giving them more control without alerting the sender. The early impact is strong. The feature is available to around 7 million Nationwide app users, giving it national reach from launch. In every case where Nationwide issued a formal warning letter to a customer misusing payment references, the abusive behaviour stopped after the first letter, showing 100% behaviour change following enforcement. Since 2025, Nationwide has also made 49 direct referrals to Refuge for high-risk survivors. Together, these changes show how core banking systems can be redesigned to reduce harm, support recovery and make financial services safer for people experiencing abuse. 

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