Barclays Group Strategy
Key facts
Barclays is a major global financial services provider engaged in retail and commercial banking, credit cards, investment banking, wealth management and investment management services with an extensive international presence in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia. With over 300 years of history and expertise in banking, Barclays operates in more than 50 countries and employs approximately 140,000 people. Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects money for more than 49 million customers and clients worldwide. Barclays Group headquarters is at 1 Churchill Place in London, UK, but we have operations all over the world, with products and services to meet the needs of customers and clients in local markets.Our strategy
Barclays strategy is to achieve good growth through time by diversifying its business base and increasing its presence in markets and segments that are growing rapidly.
This is driven by the Group’s ambition to become one of a handful of universal banks leading the global financial services industry, helping customers and clients throughout the world achieve their goals.
The strategy is based on the principles of earn, invest and grow.
Supporting this are four strategic priorities:
- Build the best bank in the UK
- Accelerate the growth of global businesses
- Develop retail and commercial banking activities in selected countries outside the UK
- Enhance operational excellence.
- Winning together – achieving collective and individual success
- Best people – developing talented colleagues to reach their full potential, to ensure Barclays retains a leading position in the global financial services industry
- Customer and client focus – understanding customers and serving them brilliantly
- Pioneering – driving new ideas, adding diverse skills and improving operational excellence
- Trusted – acting with the highest integrity to retain the trust of customers, external stakeholders and colleagues.
"Our priorities in 2008 were (and remain): to stay close to customers and clients; to manage our risks; and to progress strategy," said Barclays Group Chief Executive John Varley, in Barclays 2008 Full Year Results announcement.
