Barclays BCS

Barclays, founded in 1690 by John Freame and Thomas Gould, is the venerable British banking juggernaut that has seen it all—from financing the British Empire to weathering the storm of the 2008 financial crisis. Known for its sprawling global operations and iconic blue eagle logo, Barclays has played a pivotal role in shaping modern finance. The bank's history is a rollercoaster of high finance and higher stakes, including its 1966 launch of the UK's first credit card, Barclaycard, and its controversial acquisition of Lehman Brothers' assets in 2008. Valued at around £30 billion, Barclays has had its share of scandal, most infamously the 2012 Libor-rigging debacle which saw its reputation take a nosedive and resulted in hefty fines and executive resignations. CEO Jes Staley, who navigated the bank through a series of legal and regulatory mazes, recently stepped down under the shadow of an investigation into his ties with Jeffrey Epstein. Despite the scandals and the cutthroat world of investment banking, Barclays remains a titan, its name synonymous with both innovation and controversy in the financial world, a testament to its resilience and its perpetual knack for staying in the headlines.