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☆ Barclays shares slip after major backer Qatar cuts stake
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Qatar Investment Authority, the state sovereign wealth fund which owns Qatar Holding, did not respond to a request for comment. The share sale comes as Barclays embarks on a shake-up to cut costs and revive its share price, which has halved since Qatar first invested in 2008. Barclays' stock fell as much as 4.5% in early trading and was last down 2.5% at 1007 GMT. Qatar became Barclays' largest shareholder during the 2008 financial crisis when it injected 4 billion pounds into the UK bank in a deal that helped avert a taxpayer bailout. Britain's financial watchdog later fined Barclays $55 million for fees paid to Qatari entities in the 2008 fundraising, which Barclays said it would appeal.

Persons: Venkatakrishnan, Vekatakrishnan, Iain Withers, Sinead Cruise, Pablo Mayo Cerqueiro, Lawrence White, Danilo Masoni, Andrew Mills, Kirsten Donovan, Emelia Organizations: Barclays, Qatar, Reuters, Qatar Investment Authority, Qatar Holding, Thomson Locations: Qatar, Germany, London, Milan, Doha

☆ Global banks face negative outlook, property stress in 2024 - Moody's
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Sluggish global growth, a higher risk of borrowers defaulting on loans and pressure on profitability mean that banks face a negative outlook in 2024, credit rating agency Moody's said on Monday. Pockets of stress in property markets in the Asia-Pacific region were also likely to continue, the report said. Moody's said in its report that it expected money to remain tight next year, lowering economic growth even as central banks are expected to start cutting rates. China's growth is also set to slow amid muted spending by consumers and businesses, weak exports and an ongoing property crunch, the report said. However, capital levels - which underpin the financial soundness of banks - are expected to broadly hold up, the report said.

Persons: Toby Melville, Moody's, Felipe Carvallo, Iain Withers, Chizu Organizations: Bank of, REUTERS, Moody's Investors Services, Bank, Moody's Investors Service, Thomson Locations: Canary, Bank of England, London, Britain, United States, Europe, Asia, Pacific

A pedestrian carrying an umbrella walks along the River Thames in view of City of London skyline in London, Britain, July 31, 2023. Finance executives, consultants and headhunters interviewed by Reuters predict subdued deal flows, modest bonuses for most and heavy job cuts in 2024. "2023 will ultimately be one of the lowest corporate finance fee pools in modern history," said Fabrizio Campelli, head of Corporate Bank and Investment Bank at Deutsche Bank. JOB CUTSBanks have already turned to cost cuts to try to weather the downturn, which in a people-intensive business means job losses. And although some bankers expect a tough 2024, others sense an opportunity for European banks from the Basel Endgame.

Persons: Hollie Adams, Fabrizio Campelli, Banks, Ronan O'Kelly, Oliver Wyman, O'Kelly, Dominic Hook, Goldman Sachs, Vis Raghavan, JP Morgan, Morgan McKinley's, Stephane Rambosson, headhunter, Rambosson, Ana Botin, Morgan's Raghavan, there's, Oliver Wyman's O'Kelly, Deutsche's Campelli, Anousha Sakoui, Carolyn Cohn, Jesus Aguado, Alexander Smith Organizations: REUTERS, LONDON, Finance, Reuters, Corporate Bank, Investment Bank, Deutsche Bank, Organisation for Economic Cooperation, Development, Barclays, Lloyds, Challenger Metro Bank, UBS UBSG.S, Citi, Workers, Global Investment Banking, Employment, European Union, Santander, Global, Basel, Thomson Locations: City, London, Britain, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Ukraine, West, China, United States, India, Madrid

☆ HSBC CEO says bank 'well provisioned' for any further China real estate losses
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Noel Quinn, Group Chief Executive of HSBC, speaks during the Global Financial Leaders Investment Summit in Hong Kong, China November 2, 2022. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - HSBC (HSBA.L) is well provisioned against further China real estate losses, its CEO Noel Quinn said on Wednesday, amid a slump for the country's property market that has led to bank writedowns in recent quarterly earnings. Quinn reiterated that he felt the China property market had bottomed out, but said collateral consequences would potentially cause further losses for some banks. "We feel as though we're well provisioned," Quinn told the Financial Times' Global Banking Summit event in London. Quinn said he took two phones, two iPads and a laptop into Hong Kong and mainland China, but said the number of devices reflected splitting business and personal devices.

Persons: Noel Quinn, Tyrone Siu, Quinn, Lawrence White, Iain Withers, Sinead Cruise Organizations: HSBC, Global Financial, Investment, REUTERS, Financial Times, Global Banking, Thomson Locations: Hong Kong, China, London

☆ European Union should consider scrapping banker bonus cap - Deutsche Bank CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Christian Sewing, CEO of Deutsche Bank, poses after an interview with Reuters in Hong Kong, China September 8, 2023. REUTERS/Selena Li/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - The European Union should consider scrapping a cap on banker bonuses to remain competitive with other financial centres, Deutsche Bank CEO Christian Sewing said on Wednesday. Sewing told a Financial Times event in London that the bloc should take account of other jurisdictions that are ditching similar caps - including Britain - and consider replicating the reform, providing it did not revive a culture of excessive risk taking. Reporting by Iain Withers, editing by Sinead CruiseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Selena Li, Deutsche Bank CEO Christian Sewing, Iain Withers, Sinead Cruise Organizations: Deutsche Bank, Reuters, REUTERS, European, Deutsche Bank CEO Christian, Financial, Thomson Locations: Hong Kong, China, European Union, London, Britain

☆ Barclays eyes up to 900 job cuts in Britain - union
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Barclays Bank logo is seen in this illustration taken March 12, 2023. A Unite spokesperson said that Barclays (BARC.L) staff were informed of the potential cuts at 1300 GMT. A Barclays spokesperson declined to comment on the number of job cuts, but referred to the bank's announcement alongside its third quarter results last month that it would look to reduce costs. "We are taking a number of actions to simplify and reshape the business, improve service, and deliver higher returns. Venkatakrishnan is racing to boost Barclays' returns ahead of an investor update in February, when he will unveil more details of the cost-cutting plan and how the bank plans to grow income.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Iain Withers, Lawrence White, Sinead Cruise, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Barclays Bank, REUTERS, Barclays, Group, Reuters, C.S, Thomson

☆ Britain's Lloyds shake-up puts around 2,500 jobs at risk - source
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Lloyds Bank logo and rising stock graph are seen in this illustration taken March 12, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Britain's biggest high street bank Lloyds (LLOY.L) is putting around 2,500 jobs at risk as part of a shake-up, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters, amid a renewed push by lenders to slash costs. Staff are expected to be informed of the process as early as next week, the source said, adding it would also involve the creation of 120 roles. The news comes after Reuters reported on Thursday that Lloyds' rival Barclays (BARC.L) is working on plans to save up to 1 billion pounds ($1.25 billion), which could involve cutting as many as 2,000 jobs. But investor concerns about tougher competition for savers' cash and potential loan defaults amid a cost-of-living crisis are weighing on the sector.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Iain Withers, Lawrence White, Gursimran Kaur, Devika Syamnath, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Lloyds Bank, REUTERS, Lloyds, Staff, Guardian, Reuters, Barclays, savers, Thomson Locations: London, Bengaluru

NatWest Group bank logo and decreasing stock graph are seen in this illustration taken March 12, 2023. "I will explore options for a NatWest retail share offer in the next 12 months subject to supportive market conditions and achieving value for money," Hunt said on Wednesday. NatWest shares dipped on Hunt's comments and were last down 1.1% at 204.7 pence, compared with a 0.2% fall in the FTSE 100 (.FTSE) index. The stock is the worst performing FTSE 100 British bank stock this year, down more than a fifth, according to Eikon data. That investment turned sour for many and shares in the renamed holding company International Distributions Service (IDSI.L) are now worth 25% less than its 330 pence offer price.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Jeremy Hunt, Hunt, Sid, Alasdair Haynes, Nigel Farage, Alison Rose, Iain Withers, Sinead Cruise, David Milliken, Sarah Young, William James, Elaine Hardcastle, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: NatWest Group, REUTERS, Companies, NatWest, Aquis, Royal Mail, Distributions Service, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson

[1/2] A woman counts U.S. dollar bills at her home in Buenos Aires, Argentina August 28, 2018. Cooler-than-expected U.S. inflation data on Tuesday and Wednesday hastened market expectations for how soon the Federal Reserve will cut rates. Such a move would weaken a major dollar support and could come as early as next year's first quarter. The yen - punished broadly this year by dollar strength - broke the 150 mark for the first time in nearly two weeks, gaining 0.69% to 149.68 to the dollar. Japanese authorities do not have specific exchange-rate levels in mind when deciding when to intervene in the currency market, Deputy Finance Minister Ryosei Akazawa told parliament on Friday.

Persons: Marcos Brindicci, Bipan Rai, Thierry Wizman, Wizman, Ryosei Akazawa, Lee Hardman, Robert Holzmann, Joachim Nagel, Christine Lagarde, Herbert Lash, Iain Withers, Rae Wee, Tom Westbrook, Alexander Smith, Matthew Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Federal Reserve, CIBC Capital Markets, FX, Eurostat, European Central Bank, Thomson Locations: Buenos Aires, Argentina, North America, Toronto, United States, Macquarie, New York, Britain, London, Singapore

[1/2] A woman counts U.S. dollar bills at her home in Buenos Aires, Argentina August 28, 2018. Cooler-than-expected U.S. inflation data on Tuesday and Wednesday reset market expectations for how soon the Federal Reserve will cut rates and weighed on the dollar. The greenback is poised for its biggest weekly drop since July, down 1.6% over the past five days, and second-biggest decline this year. Data that showed U.S. single-family homebuilding increased marginally in October briefly supported the dollar, but with inflation the main market driver it remained lower on the day. The euro was up 0.17% at $1.0868 after Eurostat data confirmed year-on-year inflation in the euro zone slowed sharply in October.

Persons: Marcos Brindicci, Bipan Rai, Thierry Wizman, Wizman, Lee Hardman, Robert Holzmann, Joachim Nagel, Christine Lagarde, Herbert Lash, Iain Withers, Rae Wee, Tom Westbrook, Mark Potter, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: REUTERS, Federal Reserve, CIBC Capital Markets, FX, Eurostat, European Central Bank, Thomson Locations: Buenos Aires, Argentina, North America, Toronto, United States, Macquarie, New York, Britain, London, Singapore

Barclays Bank logo is seen in this illustration taken March 12, 2023. Tesco Plc and Tesco Bank declined to comment. It could not be established how much the proposed deal would value the Tesco Bank assets. Tesco Bank was launched in 1997 as a joint venture between the British supermarket group and Royal Bank of Scotland, with Tesco later taking full control of the company. Despite seeing it as a growth area in the past, Tesco has been scaling back its banking services, including no longer offering current accounts and offloading its mortgage portfolio to Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.L).

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Amy, Jo Crowley, Pablo Mayo Cerqueiro, Lawrence White, Iain Withers, Anousha Sakoui, Jane Merriman Organizations: Barclays Bank, REUTERS, Barclays, Reuters, Tesco Bank, Tesco, Tesco Plc, British, Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds Banking Group, Thomson Locations: British, Kensington

☆ UK lenders step up mortgage price battle as inflation slows
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Iain Withers | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Nov 15 (Reuters) - British lenders have accelerated price cuts on mortgages as competition intensifies, inflation slows and markets increase bets on future Bank of England (BoE) interest rate cuts. The latest inflation data on Wednesday showed price rises in Britain fell faster than expected in October, plunging to 4.6% from 6.7% the prior month, leading to further investor bets on BoE rate cuts next year. Reuters GraphicsThe average two-year fixed rate mortgage was priced at 6.19% as of Wednesday, the Moneyfacts data showed, down from a peak this year of 6.86% on 26 July. The country's inflation rate also remains high relative to most other developed economies. Lender cuts to fixed mortgage rates are also unlikely to be matched by variable rates that closely track the BoE rate.

Persons: BoE, John Charcol, Iain Withers, Sinead Cruise, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Bank of England, HSBC, Halifax, Virgin, Mortgage, Reuters, Wednesday, Thomson Locations: Britain

LONDON, Nov 1 (Reuters) - The UK government has scrapped guarantees on nearly 1 billion pounds ($1.2 billion) of bank loans handed out to ailing businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving lenders on the hook for some of the borrowings that will not be repaid. The figures could rise further - latest figures show just 17 billion pounds have been fully repaid by borrowers as of June 30. The largest and most controversial, the "Bounce Back Loan" (BBL) scheme, delivered 47 billion pounds and was specially designed to help Britain's smallest firms stay afloat. Following the removal, any financial loss is borne in full by the lender, BBB said. The figures also showed the government had paid out 7.4 billion pounds to lenders under the state guarantees.

Persons: Theodore Agnew, Sinead Cruise, Iain Withers, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Reuters, British Business Bank, Barclays, NatWest, Lloyds, HSBC, Bank, Finance, BBL, BBB, Thomson Locations: London

☆ UK watchdog finds potential NatWest 'regulatory breaches' in Farage fiasco
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Iain Withers | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Signage is seen for the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority), the UK's financial regulatory body, at their head offices in London, Britain March 10, 2022. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 27 (Reuters) - British watchdog the Financial Conduct Authority said on Friday that it had identified potential "regulatory breaches" in NatWest's handling of a decision to close former Brexit party leader Nigel Farage's accounts. NatWest said it would disclose a decision on whether to dock its former CEO Alison Rose's pay over the matter "as soon as possible". "This report, and additional information we have considered, has highlighted potential regulatory breaches and a number of areas for improvement," the FCA said in a statement, adding it was reviewing the firm's governance, systems and controls. Reporting by Carolyn Cohn and Iain Withers, editing by Lawrence WhiteOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Toby Melville, Nigel Farage's, Farage, Alison Rose's, Travers Smith, Alison Rose, Carolyn Cohn, Iain Withers, Lawrence White Organizations: FCA, Financial, Authority, REUTERS, British, NatWest, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

A man walks past ATM machines at branch of the NatWest bank in Manchester, Britain September 21, 2017. The bank's shares fell as much as 18% in early trading before closing down 12% - their largest daily drop since the Brexit vote in June, 2016. Farage said in a statement on Friday that he viewed the report as a "whitewash" and its findings "laughable". She added that the review showed she did not leak detailed financial information and had been unaware of "deeply unpleasant and unfair" internal staff comments made about Farage. A NatWest document unearthed by Farage in July found that an internal committee had deemed his views did not align with the bank's own.

Persons: Phil Noble, Nigel Farage, Coutts, Farage, Alison Rose, Travers Smith, Howard Davies, Rose, Mr Farage, Davies, Paul Thwaite, Rick Haythornthwaite, Iain Withers, Lawrence White, Samuel Indyk, Jason Neely, Sharon Singleton, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: NatWest, REUTERS, Financial Conduct Authority, Barclays, Rival, Lloyds, Thomson Locations: Manchester, Britain

☆ UK's data watchdog to review handling of Farage's NatWest privacy complaint
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A man walks past ATM machines at branch of the NatWest bank in Manchester, Britain September 21, 2017. Picture taken September 21, 2017. The ICO had found former NatWest CEO Alison Rose infringed Farage's data rights when she discussed his relationship with the bank with a BBC journalist, according to a copy of the ICO decision seen by Reuters and other media on Wednesday. In a statement on Friday, the ICO said Rose had since expressed concerns. An ICO spokesperson reiterated on Friday that the regulator had upheld two parts of Farage's complaint, but did not intend to take further regulatory action for now.

Persons: Phil Noble, Nigel Farage, Alison Rose, Rose, Ms Rose, Iain Withers Organizations: NatWest, REUTERS, ICO, BBC, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Manchester, Britain

[1/3] The Standard Chartered bank logo is seen at their headquarters in London, Britain, July 26, 2022. The broader European banking index (.SX7P) fell as much as 2.4% to its lowest in four months by 1017 GMT. Top fallers on the index were Standard Chartered, down 9%, Swedbank (SWEDa.ST), down 7% and BNP Paribas (BNPP.PA), down around 4%. Concerns about China's economic fragility are also hitting some European banks with major operations in Asia. Sabadell (SABE.MC) rose around 3.7% after raising its outlook for 2023 net interest income growth on the back of higher interest rates.

Persons: Peter Nicholls, Chris Hiorns, Banks, Hiorns, Angelo Meda, Meda, Iain Withers, Naomi Rovnick, Joice Alves, Jesus Aguado, Danilo Masoni, Amanda Cooper, John Stonestreet, Toby Chopra Organizations: Chartered, REUTERS, BNP, European Central Bank, Traders, SIM, Sabadell, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, LONDON, Milan, Asia, Madrid

☆ NatWest ex-CEO infringed data rights of former Brexit party leader Farage, ICO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Iain Withers | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Britain's data watchdog said on Wednesday that former NatWest CEO Alison Rose infringed Nigel Farage's data rights when she discussed the former Brexit party leader's relationship with the bank with a BBC journalist. "We fully co-operate with the ICO (Information Commissioner's Office) in its assessment of any customer complaint but it would not be appropriate for us to comment on this individual case," a NatWest spokesperson said. The ICO said in its response to Farage's complaint about the incident, seen by Reuters, that in its view Rose shared "misleading information" and that Farage's rights were infringed as a result. Farage welcomed the response and said NatWest should cut Rose's notice pay and bonuses. "It would be an outrage if she walked away with a huge sum of money," Farage said on television channel GB News.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Alison Rose, Nigel, Coutts, Rose, Farage, Travers, Iain Withers, David Gregorio, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: NatWest, REUTERS, BBC, ICO, Reuters, Financial Times, Natwest, Thomson

Britain's biggest mortgage lender on Wednesday reported a pre-tax profit of 1.9 billion pounds ($2.3 billion) for the three months to September 30, in line with the 1.8 billion expected by analysts in forecasts compiled by the bank. The bank's quarterly profit was up on 576 million pounds the prior year, which was restated due to accounting changes. Analysts welcomed the steady set of results, noting a bad loan charge of just 187 million pounds - versus 668 million in the same quarter a year earlier - was much lower than expected. However, Lloyds said it increased its deposits by 500 million pounds during the third quarter, reversing a trend of outflows seen by many banks this year. Deposits remained down 5 billion pounds year to date at 470 billion pounds.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Zoe Gillespie, Banks, Iain Withers, Lawrence White, Jason Neely Organizations: Lloyds Bank, REUTERS, Lloyds Banking Group, savers, Lloyds, Barclays, RBC Brewin, Thomson

A branch of Barclays Bank is seen, in London, Britain, February 23, 2022. Barclays shares fell nearly 7% in early trading, while shares in rivals Lloyds (LLOY.L) and NatWest (NWG.L) each dipped around 3%. SLUGGISH INVESTMENT BANKThe lender reported pre-tax profit for the July-September period of 1.9 billion pounds ($2.33 billion) on Tuesday, down from 2 billion pounds a year ago but above a consensus analyst forecast of 1.77 billion pounds. Barclays reported a 6% drop in income at its investment bank for the quarter, following a similarly downbeat performance at the half-year results update in July. ($1 = 0.8151 pounds)Reporting By Lawrence White and Iain Withers; Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Peter Nicholls, Venkatakrishnan, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley's, Venkat, Matt Britzman, Hargreaves Lansdown, Jes Staley, Jeffrey Epstein, Staley, Lawrence White, Iain Withers, Kirsten Donovan, Emelia Organizations: Barclays Bank, REUTERS, Barclays, Lloyds, NatWest, JPMorgan, Reuters, Banking, Jefferies, Revenue, Bank of America, Financial, Authority, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

☆ Britain scraps cap on banker bonuses inherited from EU
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A general view of the Bank of England in the City of London, Britain, September 25, 2023. REUTERS/Hollie Adams/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Britain on Tuesday scrapped a decade-old cap on banker bonuses inherited from the European Union, signalling a clear divergence in post-Brexit financial rules from the 27-country bloc it left in 2020. The BoE and Financial Conduct Authority proposed scrapping the cap in a public consultation earlier this year, and its abolition was confirmed in final policy published on Tuesday. The TUC confederation of labour unions said the decision to scrap the bonus cap was "obscene". Law firm Linklaters said scrapping the cap puts Britain back into line with the rest of the world, apart from the EU, but it would continue to apply to staff working at EU banks in London who are regulated under the bloc's rules.

Persons: Hollie Adams, BoE, Suzanne Horne, Paul Hastings, Paul Nowak, Linklaters, David Milliken, Iain Withers, Barbara Lewis, Mark Potter, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Bank of England, City of, REUTERS, European Union, Financial, Authority, London, Finance, TUC, Britain, Thomson Locations: City, City of London, Britain, EU, London, New York, United States, Asia

☆ Deutsche Bank completes takeover of UK broker Numis
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The headquarters of Germany's Deutsche Bank are pictured in Frankfurt, Germany, September 21, 2020. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) has completed its takeover of Numis (NUM.L), a London-based boutique investment bank, expanding its links with UK corporate clients, the German bank said on Friday. The combined business, Deutsche Numis, will oversee more than 170 corporate broking relationships and provide advisor, corporate broking, and equity capital markets services, the bank said. Fabrizio Campelli, who oversees Deutsche's investment bank, said the deal would expand the bank's reach into Europe's largest investment banking market. Deutsche Bank announced in April it had agreed to buy Numis for 410 million pounds ($500 million).

Persons: Ralph Orlowski, Alex Ham, Ross Mitchinson, Fabrizio Campelli, Amy, Jo Crowley, Iain Withers Organizations: Germany's Deutsche Bank, REUTERS, Deutsche Bank, Numis, Deutsche Numis, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, London

After many companies were wrongfooted by the speed and breadth of prohibitions on Russia, banks are drawing up contingency plans in case geopolitical tensions between the West and China escalate, seven finance industry sources said. The U.S. Treasury Department, which runs the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Britain's Foreign Office and Barclays did not respond to requests for comment. Three senior London-based bankers, who declined to be named because they were not authorised to speak publicly, said their boards had discussed the possibility of stronger Western sanctions on China in future. Scenarios from major cyber-attacks through to a military intervention in Taiwan could potentially trigger further prohibitions on China, one lawyer who advises banks said. One of the bankers said sanctions on Russia had "removed naivety" among businesses and prompted the industry to think more deeply about China risks.

Persons: Neil Whiley, Whiley, Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Leigh Hansson, Reed Smith, Banks, Biden, Sinead Cruise, Stefania Spezzati, Lawrence White, Michelle Price, Catherine Evans Organizations: Banking, UK Finance Bank, British, Reuters, UK Finance, HSBC, Barclays, JPMorgan, U.S . Treasury Department, Office, Communications, Standard Chartered, Standard, London underwriters, Thomson Locations: China, Western, Britain, U.S, Russia, West, Taiwan, Beijing, London, Ukraine, United States, British, Asia, Washington

"Mr Staley failed to do this. "In its response, Barclays relied on information supplied by Mr Staley. "In reality, in emails between the two Mr Staley described Mr Epstein as one of his 'deepest' and 'most cherished' friends," it added. "The FCA has found that Mr Staley was aware of the risk that his association with Mr Epstein posed to his career," it added. In an email titled 'Friendship' in October 2015, Staley wrote: "You never wavered in our friendship these last three years.

Persons: Jes Staley, Jeffrey Epstein, Mr Staley, Epstein, Staley, Arnold, Porter, Mr Epstein, Therese Chambers, JP Morgan Chase JPM.N, JP Morgan, Huw Jones, Sinead Cruise, Kirstin Ridley, Iain Withers, Alexander Smith Organizations: Ex, Barclays, Authority, FCA, Barclays Board, U.S . Virgin, Thomson Locations: New York

"In its response, Barclays relied on information supplied by Mr Staley. Mr Staley confirmed the letter was fair and accurate," the FCA said. "In reality, in emails between the two Mr Staley described Mr Epstein as one of his 'deepest' and 'most cherished' friends," it added. "The FCA has found that Mr Staley was aware of the risk that his association with Mr Epstein posed to his career," the watchdog added. "Mr Staley failed to do this.

Persons: Jes Staley, Jeffrey Epstein, Staley, Arnold, Porter, Epstein, Mr Staley, Mr Epstein, Therese Chambers, JP Morgan Chase JPM.N, JP Morgan, Huw Jones, Sinead Cruise, Kirstin Ridley, Iain Withers, Alexander Smith Organizations: Authority, Barclays, FCA, Bank of England, Barclays Board, U.S . Virgin, Thomson Locations: New York

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