Roundtable Discussion; The Future of Mineral Sands. Watch the video here.

Less Ads, More Data, More Tools Register for FREE

Pin to quick picksBarclays Share News (BARC)

Share Price Information for Barclays (BARC)

London Stock Exchange
Share Price is delayed by 15 minutes
Get Live Data
Share Price: 202.35
Bid: 202.15
Ask: 202.25
Change: 0.00 (0.00%)
Spread: 0.10 (0.049%)
Open: 0.00
High: 0.00
Low: 0.00
Prev. Close: 202.35
BARC Live PriceLast checked at -

Watchlists are a member only feature

Login to your account

Alerts are a premium feature

Login to your account

Risk, regulation and rehabilitation: bankers meet to gauge progress

Tue, 03rd Jun 2014 23:01

* Institute of International Finance meets in London June4-6

* Bank bosses, central bankers, politicians due to attend

* Banks still restructuring as regulations, economics change

* Threat of fines for past conduct hangs over industry

By Steve Slater

LONDON, June 4 (Reuters) - How far banks are along the pathto rehabilitation will be thrown into sharp focus this week whenpoliticians, central bankers and bank bosses gather in London -Europe's finance capital and also the site of many of theindustry's ills.

Bank bosses say risk-taking has been cut and banking cultureis on the mend but critics say more needs to be done to restoretrust in an industry blamed by many people for the financialcrisis, and to avoid the need for taxpayer bailouts.

Attendees at the annual spring meeting of the Institute ofInternational Finance (IIF), the bank industry's leading lobbygroup, will meet in London for three days starting on Wednesday.

And they have a warning from International Monetary Fundchief Christine Lagarde ringing in their ears: Changes since the2007-09 crisis have not been deep or broad enough and bankersstill prize "today's bonus over tomorrow's relationship."

Banks have other issues to address as well as their publicimage. They are restructuring investment banks and cutting coststo improve profitability, many face the threat of hefty finesfor past sins, and all are trying to adapt to new technology.

Euro zone banks are also going through a test of their loanbooks that is forcing many to recapitalise.

Huw van Steenis, analyst at Morgan Stanley, said theindustry is adjusting to a "fundamentally different" landscape.

"The dramatic change in regulations, economic backdrop andmarket structure means banks still have mis-allocated resources.How quickly and successfully banks can optimise and make thetough calls is a huge focus for investors and bankers alike," hesaid.

A year-long slump in trading revenues has continued in thesecond quarter as client activity has been deterred by lowinterest rates, adding to regulatory changes forcing banks tohold more capital and prompting UBS, Barclays and others to shrink and restructure.

BIG NAMES

Speakers at the IIF event include HSBC ChairmanDouglas Flint, UBS Chairman Axel Weber and Chief ExecutiveSergio Ermotti, Sumitomo Mitsui Chairman Masayuki Okuand Barclays CEO Antony Jenkins.

They will be joined by Vitor Constancio, vice-president ofthe European Central Bank (ECB), Eurogroup President JeroenDijsselbloem and Jon Cunliffe, Bank of England deputy governor,and several top investors, including MetLife CEO StevenKandarian and Pimco's Richard Clarida.

The IIF has about 500 members, including insurers, hedgefunds and sovereign wealth funds as well as banks. About 1,000people are expected to attend the event, held next door to theBritish Parliament - in recent years the site of some of thefiercest criticism over bankers' culture and pay levels.

Some politicians, sensitive to public anger, and investorssay still more needs to be done to bring down pay levels.

Constancio will speak on Friday, a day after the ECB isexpected to loosen monetary policy. The ECB is consideringtaking its deposit rate negative for the first time -effectively charging banks to park money at the central bank inthe hope they will lend it out instead - which could havefar-reaching economic and banking implications.

Banks also remain under scrutiny for alleged rigging ofbenchmark interest rates and foreign exchange markets, andpenalties for past misdeeds are on the rise.

BNP Paribas, whose chairman Baudouin Prot is dueto speak at the event, could be fined $10 billion or more forallegedly evading U.S. sanctions relating to Iran and othercountries between 2002 and 2009, prompting France to say itcould defend BNP's interests.

Senior bankers said it could take at least two more yearsfor the industry to work through their legacy problems.

However the IMF's Lagarde warned progress in completingbanking reforms - especially how to ensure banks are not "toobig to fail" and can be wound down without taxpayer help - wastoo slow and was being hampered by fierce industry lobbying.

"A lot has happened in the last few years and a lot ofthings are in the process of implementation, but the financialsystem is never in a steady state ... it's more like anever-ending struggle," said Nicolas Veron, a senior fellow atBruegel, the European economics think-tank. (Editing by Pravin Char)

More News
13 Feb 2024 14:34

UK earnings, trading statements calendar - next 7 days

Wednesday 14 February 
Coca-Cola HBC AGFull Year Results
Dunelm PLCHalf Year Results
Pan African Resources PLCHalf Year Results
Severn Trent PLCTrading Statement
United Utilities Group PLCTrading Statement
Thursday 15 February 
Benchmark Holdings PLCQ1 Results
Centrica PLCFull Year Results
MJ Gleeson PLCHalf Year Results
Relx PLCFull Year Results
South32 LtdHalf Year Results
Friday 16 February 
NatWest Group PLCFull Year Results
Segro PLCFull Year Results
TBC Bank Group PLCFull Year Results
Monday 19 February 
Bank of Cyprus Holdings PLCFull Year Results
MoneySupermarket.com PLCFull Year Results
Transense Technologies PLCHalf Year Results
Wilmington PLCHalf Year Results
Tuesday 20 February 
Barclays PLCFull Year Results
BHP Group LtdHalf Year Results
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners PLCFull Year Results
Gran Tierra Energy IncFull Year Results
InterContinental Hotels Group PLCFull Year Results
Petra Diamonds LtdHalf Year Results
Springfield Properties PLCHalf Year Results
  
Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com
  
A full 21-day events calendar is provided each day with a subscription to Alliance News UK Professional.
  
Copyright 2024 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Read more
9 Feb 2024 17:02

LONDON MARKET CLOSE: FTSE 100 falls at end of tepid week

(Alliance News) - Stock prices in London closed lower on Friday, with the FTSE 100's losing streak extending to three days, as sentiment in Europe remains tetchy despite a largely stellar start to the day in New York.

Read more
9 Feb 2024 15:15

London close: Stocks turn sour in afternoon trading

(Sharecast News) - London's markets turned lower on Friday afternoon, concluding a volatile week on a negative note.

Read more
9 Feb 2024 12:46

Barclays pledges to stop directly financing new oil and gas projects

(Alliance News) - Barclays PLC has promised to stop directly financing energy clients' new oil and gas projects as part of updates to its climate change strategy.

Read more
9 Feb 2024 11:44

LONDON MARKET MIDDAY: European markets quiet heading into afternoon

(Alliance News) - European stock markets were quiet heading into Friday afternoon, as investors eye the annual US consumer price index benchmarks revisions.

Read more
9 Feb 2024 08:49

LONDON MARKET OPEN: Tesco bank sold to Barclays for GBP600 million

(Alliance News) - Stock prices in London lacked direction on Friday, after Barclays announced plans to buy the retail banking business of Tesco Bank.

Read more
9 Feb 2024 08:11

Barclays adds scale, income and profits with Tesco Bank deal, says Shore Capital

(Sharecast News) - Shore Capital has reiterated a 'buy' recommendation on Barclays after its deal to takeover Tesco Personal Finance for £600m, saying that the stock should double from current levels.

Read more
9 Feb 2024 07:59

TOP NEWS: Barclays buys Tesco Bank as supermarkets refocus on food

(Alliance News) - Barclays PLC and Tesco PLC on Friday announced an agreement for Barclays to buy the retail banking business of Tesco Bank, as the big UK supermarkets scale back their forays into financial services.

Read more
9 Feb 2024 07:51

LONDON BRIEFING: Barclays buys Tesco's retail banking business

(Alliance News) - Stocks in London are called to open higher on Friday, closing off a busy corporate week.

Read more
9 Feb 2024 07:03

Tesco sells banking unit to Barclays for £600m

(Sharecast News) - UK supermarket giant Tesco has sold its most of its retail banking business to Barclays for £600m, the two companies said on Friday.

Read more
4 Feb 2024 11:12

Sunday newspaper round-up: Asda, Barclays, McLaren

(Sharecast News) - Zuber Issa, one of the two billionaire brothers at the helm of Asda, has been sounding out potential buyers for his 22.5% stake in the grocer. Instead, Zuber wishes to focus on EG Group, their petrol station empire. Meanwhile, Asda's next phase may include a bid for Boots. According to City sources, it was also possible that Zuber might use the funds raised through a sale to fund the purchase of his brother's stake in EG Group. - The Sunday Telegraph

Read more
26 Jan 2024 17:39

Texas bans Barclays from local govt debt business over ESG concerns

NEW YORK, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Friday said Barclays bank would not be permitted to underwrite municipal bonds after failing to respond to questions from state authorities about its pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Read more
26 Jan 2024 17:08

Texas bans Barclays from local debt business over ESG concerns

NEW YORK, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said on Friday that Barclays bank would not be permitted to underwrite municipal bonds after failing to respond to questions from state authorities about its carbon emissions reduction commitments.

Read more
25 Jan 2024 10:36

BoE says 'ring fencing' capital rules for retail banks need no big overhaul

LONDON, Jan 25 (Reuters) - The Bank of England said on Thursday that its rules requiring banks to "ring fence" their retail arms with bespoke buffers of capital have worked satisfactorily with no major overhaul needed.

Read more
25 Jan 2024 10:05

Bank of England says 'ring fencing' capital rules for retail banks need no major overhaul

LONDON, Jan 25 (Reuters) - The Bank of England said on Thursday that its rules requiring banks to "ring fence" their retail arms with bespoke buffers of capital have worked "satisfactorily" with no major overhaul needed.

Read more

Login to your account

Don't have an account? Click here to register.

Quickpicks are a member only feature

Login to your account

Don't have an account? Click here to register.