NEWS
27th Oct 2016 Q3 2016 Results Announcement
27th Apr 2016 1st Quarter Results
01st Mar 2016 Barclays plc 2015 Full Year Results (PDF 2.1MB)
29th Oct 2015 Q3 2015 Results Presentation (PDF, 500KB)
29th Oct 2015 Q3 2015 Results Announcement (PDF, 1.1MB)
28th Oct 2015 Barclays appoints James E. Staley as Group Chief Executive
29th Jul 2015 2015 Interim Results
08th Jul 2015 BARCLAYS PLC - Change of Leadership


VIDEO/AUDIO

24th May 2016 Barclays CEO Staley on Performance, Economy, Markets

EVENTS

23rd Feb 2017 Full Year 2016 Results

LINKS

Regulatory News
Investor News
Press Releases
Social Media Channels

Barclays: Can Jes do it?
Mark Baker
Published on: June 2016

Six months ago, Jes Staley took on a job that many of his peers said they did not envy. His task: to turn Barclays’ business performance around and create a clear strategic vision for a bank that had not adapted to a new regulatory and market environment. Work remains to be done, not least in agreeing a ring-fenced structure and improving returns at the investment bank. But the mood at Barclays appears to be brightening.



In 189 words, Barclays CEO Jes Staley can tell you his strategy. He has done just that in a video for staff. To communicate it, he gives an elevator pitch – and not from just any elevator. This one starts at Barclays’ London headquarters at One Churchill Place. When Staley gets out of it, he is standing at Barclays in New York, 745 7th Avenue.

Full Article From Link Below

http://www.euromoney.com/Article/3559073/Barclays-Can-Jes-do-it.html?single=true

Barclays announces fund for SMEs and entrepreneurs in Scotland
09 Jun 2016 09:00

Barclays has earmarked further capital to support small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in Scotland.

The bank is announcing a new £500m fund which has been introduced to address gaps in the current supply of finance for businesses in Scotland. It reflects Barclays’ commitment, in line with local government and economic strategy, to create a supportive environment for Scottish enterprise to grow.

Barclays currently looks after a high proportion of Scotland’s top 250 businesses, but has ambitious expansion plans to grow its presence across the board which includes small and medium businesses. To date, Barclays has provided over £500m to help Scottish SMEs obtain the necessary funding to grow their businesses with the new fund representing a commitment to double its support for businesses in Scotland.

With a strong team of accredited Relationship Directors, Agriculture & Real Estate specialists and High Growth Relationship Directors on the ground, the bank is expertly placed to help Scotland’s businesses regardless of size - from start-up stage, to scale up, and on to IPO.

Jamie Grant, Head of Business and Corporate Banking for Barclays Scotland said: “We believe we are equipped to help even more businesses realise their ambitions. We have a strong history of building relationships with many of the country’s leading companies while our global reach means we have the knowledge and expertise to help Scotland’s businesses compete on a world stage.

“We are committed to pioneering in digital, having been the first bank to launch Pingit, pre-assessed lending and, coming soon, our SmartBusiness service. Our newly launched high growth team means we can help the next generation of innovators and we want to be the bank of choice for anyone starting or growing their business.”

As part of this extended focus the bank recently delivered a £12m funding package to Ayrshire-based Lorimer Care Homes which enabled the business to acquire an additional three sites to its portfolio.

Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Keith Brown said: “This is positive news and will be a real boost for Scotland’s SMEs, which are the lifeblood of our economy. We know it is crucial that viable SMEs are able to access a range of finance to start-up and grow their business, and I hope many businesses can benefit from today’s announcement from Barclays. Scotland is already a great place to do business, but the Scottish Government is determined to maintain a strongly competitive business environment, and ensure the conditions are right for SMEs to flourish. That will help stimulate economic growth and create and protect jobs across Scotland.”

The pledge follows Barclays’ latest commitment to support fast growing companies- Barclays High Growth & Entrepreneurs, which includes two direct funds for innovative companies: Innovation Finance and a venture debt fund.

Lena Wilson, Chief Executive, Scottish Enterprise said: “This investment by Barclays is fantastic news for SMEs across Scotland. Access to funding is absolutely critical to enabling SME’s to thrive at home and around the world, supporting them to invest in innovation, workforce development, and international activity. We will continue to work closely with Barclays and our partners to support company growth.”

Accelerated rundown of Barclays Non-Core continues
10 Jun 2016 11:38

Barclays Bank PLC has today completed the sale and transfer of its Spanish pension assets and liabilities to Vidacaixa, S.A.U. de Seguros y Reaseguros, a member of the Caixa Group.

35,000 customers and c.€350 million of Assets under Management will transfer to the purchaser as part of the agreement. The sale also represents further progress against Barclays cost and RWA reduction targets. Neither party will be disclosing further financial terms of the deal.

Barclays Vida y Pensiones Compañía de Seguros (BVP) provides life insurance and pension products in Spain, Italy and Portugal. BVP has already sold its Portuguese insurance business to Bankinter Seguros de Vida, completed in April 2016, and its Italian life insurance business to CNP Assurances, announced earlier this month.

Barclays completed the sale of its Spanish retail bank to CaixaBank S.A. in January 2015, and announced the proposed sale of its Barclaycard consumer payments business in Spain and Portugal to Bancopopular-e in April 2016. Barclays continues to operate global corporate and investment banking in Spain.

Commenting on the sale, Harry Harrison, Co-Head of Barclays Non-Core, said: “This is another positive step in reducing the cost, operational risk and capital allocation within Barclays Non-Core, swiftly following the sale of our Italian insurance business last week. We are making good progress and continue to focus on our target of reducing RWAs in Barclays Non-Core to £20 billion by the end of 2017.”

About Barclays

Barclays is a transatlantic consumer, corporate and investment bank offering products and services across personal, corporate and investment banking, credit cards and wealth management, with a strong presence in our two home markets of the UK and the US.

With over 325 years of history and expertise in banking, Barclays operates in over 40 countries and employs approximately 130,000 people. Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects money for customers and clients worldwide.

Get Financially Fit With Barclays Financial Wings
21 Jun 2016 11:46

Barclays has today launched Financial Wings, an online personal finance hub designed to give people the knowledge and confidence to take control of their money and build the skills required to bolster their financial health.

Research carried out by Barclays showed that only 44 percent of customers felt knowledgeable about financial issues, with as many as 20 percent openly admitting to finding the topic overwhelming and confusing.

Financial Wings is available to everyone and looks at the three key areas of finances: getting your finances started, achieving your financial goals and addressing money worries.

• Getting your finances started is designed to help people organise their money and planning their finances, e.g. whether what type of bank account best suits them, how to pay bills and how to understand their bank statement

• Achieving your financial goals is designed to help people look at how they can save and/or borrowing money, e.g. put money away for a rainy day or take out a mortgage

• Addressing money worries is designed to help make people in financial difficulty aware of the solutions that can help them pay down their debts and get back on track, e.g. debt management plans

The website employs gamification to help users engage with the information. Having completed the sections that they feel are relevant to their circumstances, users can test their knowledge and earn points in a series of games.

Clare Francis, Savings and Investing Expert at Barclays said:
“Financial Wings was created to empower people and give them the confidence to make better financial decisions. Every day we hear from customers who want to understand how to make the most of their money but find managing their finances a complex and daunting task. With Financial Wings we want to remove any fear or confusion by providing essential information in manageable chunks.

“For many of us the best way to learn is by doing, which is why we have included gaming elements within the website. We are committed to ensuring the nation is financially fit and believe that Financial Wings will help many to achieve this.”

Barclays partnered with consumer bodies including The Money Advice Trust, Which? and StepChange to develop content for Financial Wings.

Speaking about the launch of Barclays’ Financial Wings initiative David Haigh, director of financial capability at the Money Advice Service, said*:
“We welcome today’s launch of Barclays’ Financial Wings initiative. Equipping people with the knowledge, skills and confidence to manage their money well is vital to improving the stubbornly low levels of financial capability across the UK.”

UK votes to leave the European Union
24 Jun 2016



Barclays Group Chief Executive Officer Jes Staley said: ‘The United Kingdom has voted to leave the European Union. This is a significant decision and there will be many questions asked in the coming days and weeks about what happens next. The answers are complex but our position is not: we will not break our stride in delivering the Barclays of the future.

‘Barclays has stood in service of our customers and clients for over 325 years. We have been here for them through equally profound changes before. And no matter what has been laid before us, we have been here to help them achieve their ambitions.

‘That does not change today. And through the uncertainty of the months ahead, be in no doubt that we are ready to do whatever it takes to uphold that promise.

‘The strategy we announced on 1 March was not conditional on the UK remaining in the EU. We are a transatlantic consumer, corporate and investment bank, anchored in the UK and the US. That remains the core of our strength and the Barclays of the future.’


a) What has Barclays done to prepare for a leave vote?

As you would expect, Barclays has put in place detailed plans for the eventuality that the UK referendum resulted in a vote to leave the European Union.

Barclays is prepared for any short-term volatility in the markets.

Barclays is a transatlantic consumer, corporate and investment bank, anchored in our two home markets of the UK and the US.

We have a strong business with a well-managed balance sheet and we are prepared for a number of potential scenarios.

b) What impact do you expect the leave vote to have on Barclays and its financial outlook?

Barclays is a stable and well capitalised international franchise with earnings diversification by geography and product mix.

While we expect potentially significant short-term volatility in the markets, we are well prepared for a number of eventualities.

c) Will there be any changes to Barclays' strategy, particularly the status as a ‘transatlantic’ bank?

The strategy remains the same – Barclays is a transatlantic consumer, corporate and investment bank, anchored in our two home markets in the leading financial centres of the world, the UK and the US.

We are confident that our current strategy will deliver a well-balanced and successful business that generates long-term sustainable returns.

As you would expect, we will continue to monitor the situation and respond as appropriate to any changes in our operating environment, while focusing on the immediate needs of our clients.

BARCLAYS KEEPS LENDING TAPS ON AFTER REFERENDUM RESULT
01 Jul 2016 09:00

Following the EU referendum result Barclays has announced it will continue its high levels of SME lending to UK businesses.

Under the announcement Barclays is:

Reaffirming that Barclays is well positioned to meet demand from SMEs for lending

•Maintaining its aim to beat last year’s strong record of £5.4bn in SME lending
•Confirming the bank has no plans to withdraw or increase the competitive rates it offers due to current economic uncertainty
•Committing to the 300,000 UK SMEs currently eligible for an instant overdraft or loan that they will continue to have access to these funds instantly in branch, by phone or online should they need it. Barclays will also continue to grow this market leading proposition.
•Providing additional business managers in our call centres who are on hand to support and guide SMEs on how to plan for uncertain times
•Boosting its specific funding for industries with high exposure to economic change including the technology and agriculture sectors, with further details to be announced in the coming days

Ian Rand, Chief Executive of Business Banking, Barclays, said: “Following the referendum many businesses will be reassessing their plans for growth and may need to re-plan or increase the resilience of their finances. It’s in times like these when strong banks should stand tall and help ensure the stability in our economy by continuing our commitment to lend. SMEs should know that even if their outlook is looking less clear, their bank is on their side and will support them through thick and thin.”

Barclays announces £100mn fund to boost UK Agriculture
05 Jul 2016 09:00

•Barclays ramps up support for UK agriculture with dedicated loan fund of £100mn* to boost industry

•Fund dedicated for farmers to invest in business efficiency, agri-tech and/or diversify into new revenue streams

•Support aids sector in time of market volatility and long term low prices that have put strain on the industry

Barclays is making £100mn available in loans to boost the UK agriculture sector, to help future-proof the industry for the next generation, improve efficiency and create additional revenue streams to limit effects of market volatility.

The multi-million pound fund will be available for farmers looking to modernise their infrastructure, helping to streamline their farming processes and increase efficiency. It will also assist farmers looking to reduce their farm’s exposure to market volatility by providing funds to invest in viable diversification projects either within agriculture or from non-agriculture sources.

The fund is in in addition to the ongoing support that Barclays offers to the sector. Loans from the fund have fixed fees starting at 0.6% for a loan term of 0-5 years, 0.75% for loans that are 6-10 years and rising to 0.90% for loan terms of 11-15 years.

Mark Suthern, Head of Agriculture at Barclays, said: “We are committed to supporting British farming and we are dedicating £100mn in lending solely for use within the farming industry to help boost the industry’s profitability and efficiency. This fund will provide essential investment; the fund will also make it easier for farmers to find alternate sources of income, decreasing the impact of price volatility on farm incomes.”

The fund comes at a time when the UK agriculture sector faces a number of challenges that have placed increasing pressure on farmers. From concerns about commodity prices, which have remained steadfastly low, to poor weather impacting output, adding further pressures to the industry.

Oliver McEntyre, National Agricultural Strategy Director at Barclays, added: “After the turbulent times of the last few years, many farm businesses have found ways to improve efficiency, this fund is released to assist the progression of this – it is not about increasing production, it is about helping our customers access the finance to invest in producing the same quality and quantity of product for less cost, or finding solid alternative income streams.”

Barclays supports over 20,000 UK farmers and, with a team of over 120 Agriculture Managers across the UK, has one of the biggest Agriculture banking team’s in the UK making it Britain’s leading agricultural bank.

ONS Retail stats: Barclays' comment
21 Jul 2016 10:00

http://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/retailindustry/bulletins/retailsales/june2016

Commenting on today’s ONS Retail Sales figures, Ian Gilmartin, Head of Retail & Wholesale at Barclays, said:

“Although they missed economists’ expectations, the retail figures were better than many in the industry expected in June. There’s been a lot of focus on the impact the run-up to the EU referendum had on purchases. It may have had some influence on big ticket items, but I think this result shows that it’s important not to overplay the significance of the lead up to the vote on consumers’ buying decisions. We were also in full referendum mode in May, and yet managed to post a bumper set of results.

Despite the weather again letting us down in June, which really hurt footfall and meant that some summer lines continued to struggle, the industry held its own supported by more online growth. Footfall was further challenged by events like the Euro championship taking people off the high street so to deliver 4.3% year-on-year volume growth, accompanied by an increase in spend is impressive and retailers deserve credit for posting these numbers.

Looking at the last part of the month, after the referendum result was known, it’s too early to say what the impact on sales has been. The movement in the value of the pound will certainly have had a major effect on retailers’ short and longer term planning. We need to look carefully at the data over the next few months and make sure that the industry is adapting appropriately as we get more clarity on what the public’s decision means for the retail sector.”

Barclays confirms sale of shareholding in VocaLink to MasterCard
21 Jul 2016 13:32


Barclays confirms the sale of the majority of its shareholding in VocaLink Holdings Limited to MasterCard Incorporated for £104 million.

VocaLink operates payments technology platforms on behalf of UK payment schemes including BACS, Faster Payments and LINK. Barclays is one of the five largest shareholders, and was one of the original banks that founded Voca and LINK in 2003, which later merged to form VocaLink.

Barclays’ 15.18% shareholding will be reduced to c.1.5%. The agreement also provides the potential for a further maximum earn-out of £29 million if VocaLink’s performance targets are met.

The transaction is estimated to result in a pro forma CET1 ratio increase of c.3.4 bps upon completion, which is subject to regulatory approval.


About Barclays

Barclays is a transatlantic consumer, corporate and investment bank offering products and services across personal, corporate and investment banking, credit cards and wealth management, with a strong presence in our two home markets of the UK and the US.

With over 325 years of history and expertise in banking, Barclays operates in over 40 countries and employs approximately 130,000 people. Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects money for customers and clients worldwide.

Barclays PLC
29th July 2016

Results Announcement-Half-year Report

http://www.moneyam.com/action/news/showArticle?id=5387954

Barclays shares jump as transatlantic refocus starts to pay off
Business | Fri Jul 29, 2016 2:17pm BST
LONDON | By Lawrence White and Sinead Cruise



A corporate makeover at Barclays (BARC.L) under CEO Jess Staley showed signs of paying off on Friday as the British bank reported an improved performance in its key businesses, helping send its shares up more than 8 percent.

Staley in March set out a strategy to simplify the bank's structure and seek higher shareholder returns through the sale of the bulk of its Africa business and other assets, becoming a "transatlantic" bank focused on the United States and Britain.

It said on Friday profits from its core businesses, including consumer and commercial lending, credit cards and investment banking, rose 19 percent to 2.4 billion pounds ($3.2 billion) in the first half.

Group pretax profit fell 21 percent to 2 billion pounds, largely due to a loss of 1.9 billion on the non-core assets, which the bank has recommitted to offload, despite prospects of a possible economic downturn following Britain's vote to quit the European Union.

"Our assessment is that the Brexit vote in the UK will have no effect on our ability to run down Non-Core at an accelerated pace and we therefore remain confident in reiterating our goal of closing Non-Core in 2017," Staley told analysts.


The bank booked a 372 million pound impairment on the French retail banking business it is in talks to sell to AnaCap Financial Partners.

Other assets earmarked for sale include its Barclaycard consumer payments business in Spain and Portugal as well as almost all of its stake in its Africa unit. It has already sold its Asia wealth operations and Italian banking business.

"These are reassuringly good numbers," Brian Cullen, investment manager at S.W. Mitchell Capital, which owns Barclays shares, told Reuters. "We like the positive tone and the fact that they have resisted temptation to blame Brexit for changes in guidance."

Shares were trading up 8.6 percent at 159 pence by 1245 GMT (8:45 a.m. ET).


ON COURSE TO DELIVER

Confidence in Britain's economic outlook has dropped sharply since voters opted to leave the EU on June 23, triggering a fresh bout of pessimism in a sector bruised by the costs of tighter regulation, restructuring and record low interest rates.

But Staley said the bank had lent 2 billion pounds of mortgages to UK homebuyers since the Brexit vote, 8 percent more than the same period last year.

Barclays finance director Tushar Morzaria said the bank had no plans to accelerate branch closures in Britain, in contrast to Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.L) which on Thursday announced a fresh 200 closures.

"We haven't put a target out there but it certainly won't be more than 100 this year," Morzaria said.

Barclays' investment banking unit saw income fall 5 percent in the first half as plunging revenue from a pared-back stock trading division offset improved returns from credit trading.

Total operating expenses fell by a tenth to 7.7 billion pounds, partly reflecting reduced litigation and conduct charges and tighter compensation costs. It said it remained on course to deliver a full-year cost target of 12.8 billion pounds on its core unit.

"Current-year profitability is being depressed by the accelerated run-off of non-core (assets) and we expect this drag to materially reduce in coming years," Shore Capital analyst Gary Greenwood said in a note.

Barclays has already cut its dividend from 6.5 pence per share to 3 pence from 2016 in order to maintain capital levels while it grapples with the expense of its revamp.

Barclays also took an additional 400 million pound impairment charge for consumer redress related to the mis-selling of payment protection insurance products in Britain, taking its total to 2 billion pounds.

The bank's core capital ratio, a key measure of financial strength, rose to 11.6 percent from 11.3 percent at the end of March, better than some analysts' expectations but still the lowest among major British lenders.

"Barclays is a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde character at the moment, but Doctor Jekyll is starting to gain more control, as all the grisly bits of the bank get wound down," Laith Khalaf, senior analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said in a note.


(Editing by David Holmes and Mark Potter)

Barclays PLC

2016 EU-wide stress test results

Barclays was subject to the 2016 EU‐wide stress test conducted by the European Banking Authority (EBA), in cooperation with the Bank of England (BoE), the European Central Bank (ECB), the European Commission (EC) and the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB).

Barclays notes the announcements made on 29 July 2016 by the EBA on the EU‐wide stress test. The stress test results in a reduction of Barclays CRD IV Fully Loaded Common Equity Tier 1 ("CET1") ratio to 7.3% from the 2015 year-end position of 11.4%. The 2016 EU‐wide stress test does not contain a pass fail threshold.

The adverse stress test scenario was set by the ECB/ESRB and covers a three‐year time horizon (2016‐2018). The stress test has been carried out applying a static balance sheet assumption as at December 2015, and therefore does not take into account subsequent or future business strategies and management actions. It is not a forecast of Barclays' profits.

While the results of the exercise will constitute an input to the 2016 supervisory review process, Barclays' capital requirements to cover against stress risks will primarily be informed by the BoE stress test, which is due to be published later this year.

Barclays' 30 June 2016 CET1 ratio was 11.6%, and Barclays remains comfortable with its target of building the ratio further to maintain a 100-150bps CET1 buffer above future regulatory CET1 levels. Barclays' 30 June 2016 CET1 ratio of 11.6% would provide a stress buffer of c.4% above the 2016 BoE stress test systemic reference point. Barclays intends to maintain a buffer around these levels in end-state.

Barclays' Euro-denominated results in the EBA template can be found at www.barclays.com/barclays-investor-relations/investor-news.html. The standardised disclosure templates have been developed by the EBA to help improve comparability and consistency between the stress test results of participating banks. The templates include detailed information on composition of capital, profit and loss, credit risk, sovereign exposures, securitisations, risk weighted assets and non-performing/forborne exposures.

http://www.moneyam.com/action/news/showArticle?id=5389035

Barclays publishes complaints data for H1 2016
26 Aug 2016 10:00

Barclays has today published total reportable complaints figures for the first half of 2016.

A full breakdown of its Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) reportable complaints is available here: www.home.barclays/complaints.

In summary, compared to H1 2015:

•Complaints excluding Payment Protection Insurance are down 10%

•Banking complaints are down 11%

•Overall complaints levels remain steady (2% increase year on year)

Matt Hammerstein, Head of Client and Customer Experience at Barclays, said:

“We want everyone using Barclays to have a brilliant customer experience and will not stop until we achieve this. We are listening to feedback so we can fix the things that aren’t working and exceed what our customers expect from their bank.”

As part of our on-going commitment to deliver products and services that address what our customers want and need from their bank we have:

•Introduced voice security technology for all our customers to make our telephone banking service both easier to use and more secure. The technology identifies the caller based solely on their voice without the need to recall security questions or passwords. Not only does this make the process quicker and more stress free, it also helps protect our customers from fraud as voice is a highly personal form of identification.

•Worked to help our customers identify and protect themselves from fraud. We offer a dedicated fraud website where our customers can access everything they need to know, including top fraud prevention tips. We are the only UK bank to run a national TV advertising campaign warning people of some of the tactics used by scammers. Our Digital Eagles have also been working with our business customers to provide Cyber Security Business Club events across the country.

•Launched SmartBusiness to offer the power of a market research department to time-starved small business owners. SmartBusiness analyses business banking and card payment transactions to present data and intelligent insights to help customers manage and grow their business, identify opportunities and take informed actions and decisions.

•Opened Eagle Labs to give customers and non-customers in local businesses and communities the opportunity to learn about new technologies by providing workspaces and tools. We now have 5 Eagles Labs open across the country in under-utilised spaces in our branches and offices.

•Created a dedicated Armed Forces portal, where we host all our existing products and services that are relevant to the military community in one easily accessible place making it simpler for serving and former military personnel to understand and access our services.

•Signed up our 500,000th Barclaycard customer to their free Experian Credit Score, helping them to better understand their financial footprint and get on top of their finances. Barclaycard launched the initiative in November last year, becoming the first financial services brand in the UK to offer customers free access to their Experian Credit Score online and on-the-go via the Barclaycard app.

•Improved existing services, such as redesigning the instructions for our Pinsentry device to make it clearer and easier for our customers. As a result of our changes, each month around 55,000 additional payments are now being made successfully by customers using their Pinsentry device.

In July, Barclays was also ranked first for complaints handling within the financial services sector in the UK Customer Satisfaction Index which is published by the Institute of Customer Service.

Barclays Non-Core rundown accelerates: Sale of Italian retail banking network completes
30 Aug 2016 09:21

Barclays PLC announces today it has completed the sale of its Italian retail banking network to CheBanca!, a member of the Mediobanca Group.

The transaction shows further progress in the rundown of Barclays Non-Core, resulting in a 30 June 2016 pro forma decrease in Risk Weighted Assets of £0.6bn and a loss before tax of £258m which was booked in Q4 2015.

Barclays’ residual mortgage portfolio and other Non-Core retail, wealth and corporate loans will remain part of Barclays Non-Core, with the intention to exit or rundown over time.

Barclays will continue to operate investment banking and corporate banking in Italy.

Jes Staley, Barclays Group CEO, said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank our colleagues in the Italian retail network and wish them well for the future. Their commitment and professionalism will be a great asset to CheBanca!, just as it has been to Barclays.”

“Accelerating the rundown of Barclays Non-Core is a key part of our strategy to close the gap between the Group’s returns and those in our strong Core business. Last week we completed the sale of our analytics and index business to Bloomberg, and today’s announcement highlights again how we are on track to reach £20bn RWAs by the end of 2017.”

1 September 2016

Barclays PLC - Total Voting Rights and Capital

In accordance with the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rule 5.6.1R, Barclays PLC notifies the market that as of 31 August 2016, Barclays PLC's issued share capital consists of 16,917,183,163 Ordinary shares with voting rights.

There are no ordinary shares held in Treasury.

The above figure (16,917,183,163) may be used by shareholders (and others with notification obligations) as the denominator for the calculation by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, Barclays PLC under the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules.

http://www.moneyam.com/action/news/showArticle?id=5407376

My top up at 136p a couple of weeks ago is looking good.

Well driver yer spooked the market there! :-)

Bj
Also spooked HSBC topped up at 452p at the same time.

Barclays and Wave complete world first blockchain trade finance transaction
07 Sep 2016 09:00

Barclays and innovative start-up company Wave have become the first organisations to execute a global trade transaction using blockchain technology.

The letter of credit transaction between Ornua (formerly the Irish Dairy Board) and Seychelles Trading Company is the first to have trade documentation handled on the new Wave platform, with funds sent via Swift. It is hoped this landmark transaction could herald a new era of simpler, safer and faster trade finance.

Currently trade transactions of this nature often involve a high number of participants in different jurisdictions around the world, which in turn requires a significant amount of paperwork, counter-signing and courier journeys.

The new blockchain based system developed by Wave uses distributed ledger technology to ensure that all parties can see, transfer title and transmit shipping documents and other original trade documentation through a secure decentralised network, eliminating many of the current inefficiencies in international trade. The new system could therefore speed up trade transactions, reduce costs for companies around the world and reduce the risk of documentary fraud.

Companies around the world stand to save significant costs and time, with the shipping industry and financial institutions expected to be some of the biggest beneficiaries. Barclays has identified substantial direct cost savings that can be made on courier costs alone using the Wave system, and it could also bring down the time taken to complete an end to end trade finance transaction from days to a few hours.

Wave was one of eleven companies to have gone through the Barclays Accelerator programme in New York last summer, during which time it received expert mentoring from the bank. Since then it has been working with Barclays’ Trade & Blockchain team in the UK and South Africa to explore the various use cases of its innovative technology. Barclays is also seeking to involve other banks in supporting adoption of Wave’s system, with the hope that this can develop into an industry wide improvement in how trade documentation is managed.

This announcement follows other blockchain firsts and exploratory work by Barclays. Last year, the bank signed a proof of concept with Safello to explore how blockchain technologies can be harnessed in the financial services sector. Barclays was part of the initial group of banks to join the R3 consortium designed to spearhead crypto technology solutions in financial services and also was the first big British bank to form a partnership with a digital currency firm, Circle, facilitating social payments on the blockchain using Circle's payments app by providing the underlying fiat currency accounts. More recently, Barclays, with its Smart Contract Templates application, publically demonstrated R3’s corda platform for the first time.

Baihas Baghdadi, Global Head of Trade & Working Capital at Barclays, said: “One of the biggest headaches in global trade currently is the vast movement of paper required to facilitate transactions, with multiple organisations in the chain. That is why we’ve been very keen to partner with Wave in using blockchain technology to save time and money for our clients, and potentially transform trade finance for businesses around the world.”

Gadi Ruschin, CEO at Wave said: “Effective use of blockchain technology really can have a huge impact on the future of trade. By adopting our system, trade can be done more easily and more cheaply. Studies show that as much as 5% of the cost of a trade transaction comes from the handling of documentation, so there is a significant opportunity to improve this element of the trading process. We think we’ve got the right answer, and look forward to working with Barclays to develop it further and create an industry wide solution.”

David O’Rourke, Group Trade Finance Manager at Ornua Co-operative, said: “Moving to paperless trade would be hugely beneficial in supporting the supply chain, through reduced costs, error free documentation, and fast transfer of original documents to our customers worldwide.”

Following the successful pilot Barclays and Wave will be working with a select group of trade finance clients to develop the service further.

Barclays Runs Largest Ever Hackathon in Financial Services
27 Sep 2016 13:39

Last weekend saw Barclays run the largest ever hackathon in financial services across two continents as part of its continued drive to identify new and innovative products and services for the banking industry.
 
The Rise Hackathon: Episode II – The Bank Awakens saw 547 teams and 1,045 participants compete over 36 hours on Saturday and Sunday in Mumbai, India, and Manchester, UK, where Barclays has two of its Rise innovation hubs.  Rise is Barclays’ open innovation programme – a network of physical hubs and virtual networks designed to stimulate the growth of innovative start-ups operating in the financial technology (fintech) sector.
 
The hackathon was designed to address the challenges and opportunities presented to the banking industry by the introduction of the Directive on Payment Services (PSD2), a new European banking regulation coming into effect in 2018.  Barclays invited a global network of developers, start-ups and fintechs to take part in the weekend’s hackathon to explore some of the best and most innovative emerging ideas and disruptive technologies that could help shape the future of banking.
 
Michael Harte, Barclays Head of Group Innovation said: “Hackathons allow us to dynamically collaborate with some of the brightest minds in the global fintech start-up communities around the world. It’s about our staff co-creating solutions with external teams; coming together for 36 hours to work on specific customer and business solutions - an intense burst of idea storming and experimental hacks to build innovative prototypes and minimum viable products or features for customers.  Rapid collaboration through hacks helps fuel and accelerate innovation to benefit customers and clients across the globe.”
 
The hackathon marked the first time Barclays has released its APIs (application programming interfaces) to external developers via its API store – demonstrating how the bank is shifting its focus even further towards open innovation; a willingness to share its internal data and technology to work together with the start-up community to drive innovation for the benefit of customers and clients.  Peter Josse, CIO for Barclays UK said: “We understand the critical importance of digital and data and the role they’re playing in reshaping the financial services industry. We’re passionate about leading the way for open banking and providing our customers and clients with secure, resilient next gen products and services.”
 
The hackathon was done in partnership with over 20 of the bank’s technology partners, including Google, Twitter, IBM, Amazon and Microsoft, offering the participating teams support from a range of leading industry experts to help grow and develop their innovative ideas.
 
The hackathon took place at the Bombay Stock Exchange, Mumbai, in partnership with Acehacker and at Barclays’ Rise hub in Manchester in partnership with Software City Global and Central Working. Across the two sites, there were 105 working prototypes created and 6 winners selected.  Prizes included £1,500 (1,50,000 INR) for the winning teams, who also  have the opportunity to be supported by Barclays in developing their prototypes into real life solutions. 
 
For more information visit http://www.risehackathon.com/