Q1 2017 Results

Barclays has published its Q1 2017 Results.

Jes Staley, Group CEO said: “This has been another quarter of strong progress towards the completion of the restructuring of Barclays.

Group profit before tax more than doubled compared to Q1 of 2016, and our Core businesses continued to perform very well, producing a combined Return on Tangible Equity of 11%, on an average tangible equity base that is £5bn higher year-on-year. Within that, Barclays UK’s and Barclays International’s RoTEs both improved to 21.6% and 12.5% respectively.

Non-Core rundown carries on apace, with materially lower losses, and RWAs reducing by a further £5bn to £27bn in the quarter. We remain well on track to close the unit on the 30th of June.

Crucially, in this quarter, as we reduce that Non-Core drag, we can see more clearly than ever before the growing convergence between our Core RoTE of 11%, and the Group RoTE of 9%, excluding the one-off impairment in respect of our African operations.

That convergence has been the central strategic objective in the accelerated strategy we have been pursuing over the past year.

Our Group cost to income ratio has improved to 62%, compared to 76% for the first quarter of 2016, driven by a marked reduction in Non-Core costs and positive jaws in the Core.

On Africa, we await approval for the separation arrangements already agreed with local management, following which we will be able to make further progress towards regulatory deconsolidation.

The earnings power of Barclays enabled us to take actions in the quarter including the redemption of US dollar preference shares, the purchase of shares for employee awards, and pension contributions, while still improving our CET1 ratio to 12.5% through organic capital generation, and that is pleasing.

We are now just two months away from completing the restructuring of Barclays as a transatlantic consumer, corporate and investment bank and there is further good reason in this quarter’s performance to feel optimistic for our prospects.