LONDON (Reuters) - NatWest will close its business in Poland by the end of 2025, the British bank said on Wednesday, as it consolidates its financial crime operations into two remaining hubs in Britain and India.

The bank's 1,600-strong workforce in Poland will lose their jobs, a spokesperson for the bank said, with 45% of those roles gone for good and the remaining 55% being transferred to the other two countries where equivalent jobs will be created.

The decision has followed completion of a specific financial crime project in Poland, the spokesperson added, meaning there is no longer work for those employees.

NatWest Chief Executive Paul Thwaite said this year that the lender is aiming to become a simpler and more efficient bank.

(Reporting By Lawrence White and Sinead Cruise; Editing by David Goodman)