Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Meet the new boss, same as... What’s changed at Barclays?

Outlook

James Moore
Thursday 21 January 2016 21:01 EST
Comments
Barclays CEO Jes Staley’s tactics are holding the lender steady
Barclays CEO Jes Staley’s tactics are holding the lender steady (Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

We are unlikely to see many Barclays bankers smiling like their rivals at Goldman Sachs during the current bonus round. Goldman has kept remuneration spending steady, despite preparing for a whopping fine. Barclays looks set to impose another cut, and that’s for those still in jobs. Around 1,200 of the bank’s staff will be looking for new pastures as it closes nine offices globally.

Its first big move since Jes Staley took over is to rein in its investment bank some more. Far being from a global bank, Barclays is increasingly a transatlantic outfit, which might not bode well for its controlling stake in Absa in Africa.

The move is also part of the strategy put in place by Mr Staley’s predecessor, Antony Jenkins, who was basically fired for being insufficiently dynamic.

So is it Mr Staley’s job to shrink Barclays too, but to look good while doing it? We shall see.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in