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Barclays posts 17% profit rise and raises bonus pool by 30%

· Business GBR

Barclays reported a 17% rise in first-half pre-tax profit to £6.1 billion, beating analyst forecasts and prompting the bank to raise its full-year income guidance to £31.5 billion. The lender also announced a £1 billion share buyback and £800 million in dividends for shareholders.

Strong trading drove the results, with investment bank income reaching £4 billion in the second quarter, well above expectations, as equities revenues surged 45% year-on-year. However, credit impairment charges climbed to £1.4 billion from £1.1 billion, and the bank forecasts UK economic growth slowing to just 0.4% in 2026.

The bank increased its half-year bonus pool by 30% to £1.3 billion, a move CFO Anna Cross described as purely mechanistic. The Trades Union Congress called for higher taxes on banks in response to the earnings.

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theguardian.com GBR Barclays increases bonus pool by nearly 30% as calls grow for UK bank taxrte.ie IRL Barclays posts 17% profit rise on strong equities tradingjornaldenegocios.pt PRT Lucro do Barclays aumenta 19% até junho para 4,9 mil milhões de eurosstandard.co.uk GBR Barclays profits surge 17% as investment bank cashes in on trading spurt

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