Who we are

and our values

Our Story

From our small London beginnings more than 300 years ago to today’s current operations, Barclays has always been driven by strong values and the ultimate goal of helping our clients and customers achieve their ambitions in the right way.

Our story begins in 1690 when John Freame and Thomas Gould started trading as goldsmith bankers on Lombard Street, London. In 1736 John’s son-in-law, James Barclay, joined the business giving it the name we know today. Since then, Barclays has been a leader in innovation; funding the world’s first industrial steam railway, naming the UK’s first female branch manager and introducing the world’s first ATM machine. And those are just a few highlights from our first 300 years.

A story of innovation

Today, Barclays is a major global financial services provider engaged in retail banking, credit cards, corporate and investment banking and wealth management. Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects money for 48 million customers and clients worldwide.