Barclays Plc

Barclays PLC is a major global financial services provider engaged in retail and commercial banking, credit cards, investment banking, wealth management and investment management services.

Barclays is one of the largest financial services companies in the world.  It has been operating for more than 300 years and has 25 million customers and 118,000 employees in over 60 countries. Barclays major businesses are UK Retail and UK Business Banking, Barclaycard, Retail and Commercial Banking outside the UK, Barclays Capital, Barclays Global Investors, and Barclays Wealth.

Barclays Corporate Responsibility programme focuses on the banks' direct and indirect impacts and seeks to position the bank as a leader in many aspects of sustainable development.

Barclays has leading financial inclusion programmes in the UK and Africa, and is active across Africa in combating the spread of HIV/AIDS. With a strong focus on developing employees, Barclays is a leader in equality and diversity. Its' business strategy is supported by its commitment to 'Treating Customers Fairly' by making available quality products and services with fair and transparent terms.

Barclays is a leader in its community programmes across the world, and is proud to be a member of the ‘PerCent Club’, channelling 1% of its profits into community investment.

It has a highly developed environmental management system, and commits to improve efficiency in the use of scarce resources – the banks UK operations will become carbon neutral in 2007. Barclays addresses the environmental and social impact of its lending through comprehensive lending guidelines and through the Equator Principles, which cover project financing. Barclays was also one of the four founding banks behind the Principles. Corporate Responsibility screening is applied to Barclays' supply chain.

• In 2005 Barclays achieved 3rd position in the Business in the Community Companies that Count Corporate Responsibility Index, up from 32nd in 2004.
• Member of the 2005 Dow Jones Sustainability Index, ranked in the top quartile of the banking sector.
• Member of the 2005 FTSE4Good Index.