Barclays

Barclays traces its origins to the goldsmith banking business of John Freame and Thomas Gould in London’s Lombard Street, supported by Quaker commercial connections.⁠[1]

Joseph Freame admitted his brother-in-law James Barclay as a partner, establishing the name retained by the bank.⁠[1]

Twenty private family banks combined as Barclay and Company Limited, initially with 182 branches.⁠[1]

Barclays combined Colonial Bank, Anglo-Egyptian Bank and National Bank of South Africa into Barclays Bank DCO.⁠[1]

Barclays launched Barclaycard, expanding card payments in a market dominated by cash and cheques. Its 2026 anniversary account described an operation based in a converted Northampton shoe factory that attracted over one million cardholders within a year.⁠[2]

Barclays opened the Enfield cash machine, identified by Historic England as the world’s first bank ATM. The prototype authenticated a paper voucher using a signature and four-digit PIN, then dispensed a £10 note.⁠[3]

Barclays acquired Martins Bank, extending its British banking network.⁠[1]

UK and international operations were combined in Barclays Bank PLC, with Barclays PLC as holding company.⁠[1]

Barclays completed the purchase of Lehman’s US and Canadian investment banking, capital markets and related businesses, together with its New York headquarters and two New Jersey data centres. The bankruptcy-court-approved sale covered specified assets and assumed liabilities, rather than the entire Lehman group.⁠[4]

The UK Financial Services Authority fined Barclays Bank PLC £59.5 million for misconduct in LIBOR and EURIBOR submissions and related controls. The regulator found that submissions had reflected traders’ positions and, during the financial crisis, concerns about adverse publicity.⁠[5]

The group separated UK retail and business banking from international and investment banking under UK ring-fencing requirements, retaining Barclays PLC as parent.⁠[1]

The SEC found that control failures at Barclays PLC and Barclays Bank PLC led to approximately $17.7 billion in unregistered securities sales. Without admitting or denying the findings, the firms agreed to a $200 million civil penalty. A further order for over $161 million in disgorgement and interest against the bank was deemed satisfied through its rescission offer to investors.⁠[6]

Barclays completed its acquisition of US personal loan origination platform Best Egg for approximately £0.6 billion, subject to customary post-completion adjustments. It had exited its American Airlines co-branded card partnership on April 24, reshaping its US consumer business portfolio.⁠[7]

Barclays reported first-half 2026 total income of £16.501 billion, profit before tax of £6.066 billion and attributable profit of £4.191 billion, up 11%, 17% and 19% respectively. Group assets were £1.7304 trillion at June 30. These are consolidated group figures.⁠[8][7][9]

Barclays launched Backing Britain’s Future, committing to support 1.5 million businesses and entrepreneurs by 2030 through skills, finance, networks and expertise. The figure is a future commitment, not a completed outcome.⁠[10][11]

Barclays Bank UK PLC completed its acquisition of the UK GoHenry business from Acorns, intending to retain the brand and standalone app for users aged 6–18. Acorns retained its US business, operating as Acorns Early, and Europe’s Pixpay; both were excluded from the transaction.⁠[12]

Barclays participated in Capitolis’ Series E as an existing equity investor.⁠[13]

Barclays has five operating divisions: Barclays UK, UK Corporate Bank, Private Bank and Wealth Management, Investment Bank, and US Consumer Bank. Its London-based parent is Barclays PLC. C.S. Venkatakrishnan is group chief executive and Nigel Higgins is chairman. Operating divisions and legal subsidiaries represent different organisational structures.⁠[9][8][14]

Group website: https://home.barclays/ (opens in a new window). X: https://x.com/Barclays (opens in a new window). YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry: https://www.youtube.com/@Barclays (opens in a new window). LinkedInLinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry: https://www.linkedin.com/company/barclays-bank/ (opens in a new window). The group channel links to separate UK, investment banking and US consumer banking channels.⁠[15][16]