LONDON, June 6 (Reuters) - Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui BankingCorp. (SMBC) is selling half its stake in British bankBarclays, worth about 260 million pounds ($400million), people familiar with the matter said on Thursday.
Nomura was selling 84.5 million shares via an acceleratedshare placing on behalf of SMBC, the sources said. SMBC bought169 milliion shares in Barclays at 296 pence in June 2008 aspart of a series of fundraisings by the bank during thefinancial crisis.
By 0742 GMT Barclays shares were down 2 percent at 310pence. Traders said the shares were being place at 308.5p.
Barclays (BARC)