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Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace with Alistair Currie, Barclays Global Head of Consumer Banking and Payments

Barclays announces fresh commitments to Armed Forces Community on 10-year anniversary of signing the Armed Forces Covenant

31 January 2023

Barclays has boosted its support of the Armed Forces Community by updating pledges to the Armed Forces Covenant, a decade on from when it first made the commitments.

The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise by the nation ensuring that those who serve or have served in the armed forces, and their families, are treated fairly.

The updated pledges include, amongst other things, commitments to:

  • Tailored support to entrepreneurs with a ‘Veterans Owned Business’ strategy
  • Bespoke employment support for Service Leavers through the Barclays Military Talent Scheme
  • Employment and business support for Military Spouses/Partners


Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace said: “To celebrate a decade of formally supporting the Armed Forces community, I am delighted to sign Barclays updated Armed Forces Covenant. As one of the UK leading employers of veterans and military spouses and partners, these pledges set the conditions for the next ten years of Barclays support and advocacy to this community.”

After signing the Covenant, Barclays’ executive sponsor for the Military Veterans Outreach (MVO) programme, Alistair Currie, also met with the Rt Hon Minister Johnny Mercer, Minister for Veteran’s Affairs, to host a roundtable attended by several veterans working within Barclays.

The discussion focused upon the challenges in transitioning from military to civilian life and gave the bank the opportunity to understand how best to support the Government’s Strategic Action Plan for veterans.

Minister for Veterans' Affairs Johnny Mercer said: "Barclays are a fantastic example of an employer who put veterans at the heart of what they do.

"This includes in important areas such as data, encouraging people to self-declare their veteran status so they know how many ex-forces personnel they employ.

"Meeting some of their staff today who had previously served was a reminder of the fantastic skills and experience that veterans can bring businesses."

Alistair Currie, Barclays Global Head of Consumer Banking and Payments and executive sponsor for the MVO programme, said: “Thank you to the Rt Hon Minister Mercer for joining us and several of our brilliant veterans to discuss how we can continue to ensure that our support of the Armed Forces Community is best in class.

“Having this collaboration with Government and open dialogue with veterans is vital to the futureproofing of our programme.

“Military veterans bring huge value to Barclays, and they make a significant contribution to our success. I’m extremely proud of all we have done over the last decade and look forward to seeing the programme continue to thrive.”

In the last ten years, Barclays has helped more than seven thousand servicemen and women through Barclays Military and Veterans Outreach, and over 700 veterans have secured jobs through this initiative.

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