Fifth of Barclays shareholders back fundraising bid

Jul 18 2008 LDP Business

LESS than a fifth of Barclays existing shareholders opted to buy new shares in the bank as part of a £4.5 billion fund raising scheme, the company said today.

Barclays said 19% of investors opted to buy discounted shares to help strengthen the group’s balance sheet. They will be investing £750 million of the total.

It means the remainder will be contributed by a series of major overseas investors including the Qatari Investment Authority (QIA) and Challenger - a vehicle led by Qatari royal and prime minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani and his family - who will be investing approximately £1.4 billion and £400 million each respectively.

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation is also putting in £500 million, with existing shareholders China Development Bank adding around £150 million and Temasek in the region of £160 million.

Barclays chief executive John Varley said: “We look forward to building on our relationships with our new shareholders, Qatar Investment Authority and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, and we appreciate the support of existing owners of our shares including China Development Bank, Temasek, and other institutional holders.”