Barclays Bank International, formerly Barclays Bank (Dominion, Colonial & Overseas) and Barclays Bank D.C.O.

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The international arm of Barclays was established by Frederick Goodenough, executive chairman of Barclays 1913-34. He conceived the idea of an Empire bank, providing retail and commercial banking along British lines throughout the sterling area and able to transfer funds through London to any part of the organization as required.

The new private subsidiary was created from three existing City-based banks acquired by Barclays, as follows:

Colonial Bank: founded by royal charter in 1836 to trade in the West Indies, and, from 1916, empowered to extend its operations throughout the Empire. In 1917 a working agreement gave Barclays access to its markets in West Africa. Barclays secured a controlling interest in The Colonial in 1918-19 National Bank of South Africa (NBSA): established 1891 in Transvaal (head office in Pretoria), it had absorbed banks with older roots in South Africa and had a holding in the Colonial Bank. Barclays acquired shares in NBSA from 1919 Anglo-Egyptian Bank: founded in 1864 and acquired by Barclays in 1920, this bank had representation in Egypt, British territories in the Mediterranean, Palestine and the Sudan

In 1925 Goodenough obtained an act of parliament for the re-incorporation of the Colonial Bank which thereby changed its name to Barclays Bank (Dominion, Colonial and Overseas), a subsidiary of Barclays Bank Limited, and soon afterwards formally absorbed both the Anglo-Egyptian Bank and the National Bank of South Africa, whose complete acquisition by Barclays was part of the whole transaction.

The original structure of the three foundation banks continued to function under powers delegated by the main board (known as the central board). The South African local board was based in Johannesburg but the local boards for the Colonial Bank and Anglo-Egyptian sections were based in London.

In 1954 the title of the company was shortened to Barclays Bank DCO, diluting its imperial overtone. In 1971 it was incorporated as a wholly owned subsidiary and renamed as Barclays Bank International (usually abbreviated as BBI), to reflect the change in emphasis to world-wide banking as Barclays' representation outside the Commonwealth expanded. DCO/BBI was headquartered with Barclays Bank Limited in Lombard Street, and as well as its overseas branches had a network of offices and branches in London and the main industrial cities of England.

This structure lasted until the major reorganization of Barclays Group under the Barclays Bank Act of 1984, whereby BBI was re-registered as a public company and its business combined with that of Barclays Bank to form the present holding company (Barclays PLC), and with a new operating subsidiary (Barclays Bank PLC) taking the former company number of Barclays Bank International.

From the guide to the Barclays Bank: records of international operations: boards, chair and senior management, c1919-1985, (Barclays Group Archives (BGA))

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Barclays Bank: records of international operations: boards, chair and senior management, c1919-1985 Barclays Group Archives (BGA)
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Aiken, Arthur Stephen ., 1908-1982 person
associatedWith Anglo-Egytpian Bank Ltd corporateBody
associatedWith Associated Banks of Europe Corporation corporateBody
associatedWith Bank of England corporateBody
associatedWith Bank of London and Montreal corporateBody
associatedWith Barclays Bank (Dominion, Colonial & Overseas) corporateBody
associatedWith Barclays Bank International Ltd corporateBody
associatedWith Barclays Overseas Development Corporation corporateBody
associatedWith Barclays PLC corporateBody
associatedWith Barnes, Anthony Charles., 1891-1974 person
associatedWith Bryan, Willoughby Guy., 1911-1987 person
associatedWith Cade, John Frederick., 1999-1976 person
associatedWith Carter, Donald., 1904-1980 person
associatedWith Caulcutt, Sir John., 1876-1943 person
associatedWith Colonial Bank, overseas bank corporateBody
associatedWith Credit Congolais corporateBody
associatedWith Crossley, Sir Julian Stanley., 1899-1971 person
associatedWith Dolling, Francis Robert., 1923-1994 person
associatedWith Dyson, Richard George., 1910-1987 person
associatedWith Euro-Latinamerican Bank Ltd corporateBody
associatedWith Fitzherbert, Cuthbert., 1899-1986 person
associatedWith Foa, Raol Hector., 1857-1935 person
associatedWith Goodenough, Frederick Craufurd ., 1866-1934 person
associatedWith Goodenough, Sir William Macnamara., 1899-1951 1st baronet, banker person
associatedWith International Energy Bank corporateBody
associatedWith Lambert, Henry Uvedale Antrobus., 1925-2011 person
associatedWith Leisk, James Rankine., 1876-1948 person
associatedWith Macdona, Brian Fraser., 1901-1971 person
associatedWith National Bank of South Africa corporateBody
associatedWith Seebohm, Frederic., 1909-1990 person
associatedWith Société Financière Européenne corporateBody
associatedWith Tritton, Herbert Leslie Melville., 1870-1940 person
associatedWith Tuke, Sir Anthony Favill ., 1920-2001 person
associatedWith United Dominions Trust corporateBody
Place Name Admin Code Country
Kenya
Turkey
Czechoslovakia
Italy
Far East
Ethiopia
Indonesia
Vanuatu
China
Gabon
South Africa
France
New Zealand
Bahrain
Mozambique
Nigeria
Soviet Union
Bahamas
Switzerland
Lesotho
Tonga
Kuwait
Poland
Finland
Middle East
Syria
Mauritius
Swaziland
Namibia
Malta
Bermuda
Zambia
Jamaica
Jordan
Ireland
Tunisia
East Africa
Netherlands Antilles
Guyana
San Francisco
Sierra Leone
West Africa
Sweden
Botswana
Malawi
Libya
Hong Kong
Egypt
New York
United States of America
Malaysia
Hungary
Taiwan
Greece
Belize
Congo
Ghana
Australia
Uganda
Netherlands
Austria
Zimbabwe
Japan
Fiji
South Korea
Sudan
Belgium
Yugoslavia
Eastern Europe
Singapore
Brazil
Lebanon
Romania
India
Bulgaria
Cyprus
United Aarb Emirates
Spain
North America
Nauru
West Germany
Luxemburg
Philippines
Israel
Argentina
Trinidad
Oman
Ivory Coast
Portugal
Denmark
Eritrea
West Indies
Cameroon
Gibraltar
Mexico
Saudi Arabia
Channel Islands
Qatar
Seychelles
Palestine
Barbados
Canada
Iran
Tanzania
California
Subject
Business records
Occupation
Activity

Corporate Body

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