Barclays has begun to implement the first of the 7,000 job cuts at its investment banking (IB) arm, as part of 19,000 across the bank.The investment bank has made the first few hundred redundancies, according to Reuters, with cuts mostly made in its fixed income, currencies and commodities (FICC) trading and markets businesses, rather than in advisory and equities.The severe trimming of its headcount is aimed at creating a 'leaner, stronger' and focused international bank, costing it an estimated £3.5bn in restructuring.Barclays intends to make the IB cuts over a three-year period as it attempts to resurrect profitability in FICC, where low interest rates and heavier regulatory requirements have weighed ever heavier.Last month, Chief Executive Antony Jenkins, pictured, said it was a "bold simplification" of Barclays, with to make it "leaner, stronger, much better balanced and well positioned to deliver lower volatility, higher returns, and growth". Shares in the company were down 1.40% to 242.7p by 10:05 on Tuesday.OH