NatWest boss Paul Thwait has said there are positive signs of increasing optimism among mid-market Scottish businesses.
The travel and tourism sectors are highlighted as showing particular signs of improvement in their outlook, according to the Royal Bank of Scotland, which is part of the NatWest Group.
But while technology and telecoms also gave a positive outlook, there were more negative figures for the manufacturing sector.
The data comes from NatWest's monthly business monitor, which looks at figures from its customer base of more than 100,000 Scottish business accounts, the BBC reports.
It comes as the chief executive visits Scotland for two weeks to hear from that customer base as well as some of the 11,500 staff north of the border.
He reassured customers the bank is "very committed" to Scotland.
Read more on the BBC website.
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