The British banking and financial services company Barclays has reported a profit before tax of £2.45bn for the first quarter ended 31 March 2012, an increase of 22 per cent compared to £2bn for the same period last year.
Strong performance in investment banking helped to offset an increased compensation bill for a payment protection insurance (PPI) issue – Barclays’s exposure has risen by an extra £300m.
Meanwhile, one in four investors are expected to register protests for payment policies at the company’s annual general meeting tomorrow. Shareholders are reportedly concerned about a payment of £5.75m that was made to cover the cost of a tax bill incurred by Bob Diamond, chief executive of Barclays, when he relocated to London from New York to take charge.
Nonetheless, the company's profit after tax improved from £1.5bn last year to £1.87bn, while net operating income grew 8 per cent to £7.36bn (2011: £6.83bn). Barclays maintained a strong liquidity position with a liquidity pool of £173bn (2011: £152bn).
UK Retail and Business Banking (RRB) reported adjusted profit before tax of £334m (2011: £288m). Europe RBB and Africa RBB reported net operating income of £171m and £723m, respectively.
Barclaycard posted pre-tax profit of £349m (2011: £296m).
For the quarter, investment banking, corporate banking, wealth and investment management divisions reported pre-tax profits of £1.27bn, £219m, and £60m, respectively.
Diamond said:
Barclays's first-quarter results are an encouraging start to the year and demonstrate continued progress across our execution priorities. We achieved an adjusted return on equity that exceeded 12 per cent, driven by strong results in UK RBB, Barclaycard, and Wealth and Investment Management and improved performances in corporate and investment banking. Our rock-solid capital, funding and liquidity positions remain a source of competitive advantage and enabled us to fund a substantial proportion of our 2012 term funding requirements.
The environment in which we operate remains unpredictable but we have a proven ability to adapt and grow our businesses in the face of external change. We will be proactive and seek to lead the agenda on recovery and resolution planning, which is a critical step to eradicate "too big to fail", while continuing to remain closely engaged with regulatory agencies and governments.