BARCLAYS - THE BUSSINESS OF BANKING, 1690-1996

This is a history of one of the world’s most famous financial institutions from its foundation as a private Quaker partnership in 1690 to 1996. Over the course of its history, Barclays has been the largest bank in the world, in Africa, and in Britain. A pioneer in international trade finance and large scale branch banking, Barclays was responsible for the first automated teller machine in the world. This history of innovation and expansion is a microcosm of the successes and failures of corporate strategies in banking and is especially illuminating on the twentieth century. Extensively illustrated and accessibly written, the book is deliberately designed to appeal to readers beyond those with a specialist professional interest in financialhistory. It makes a major contribution to the economic and social history of modern Britain and the contemporary business world.

* A unique corporate history that concentrates on the changing economies of banking in Britain and abroad;
* Concentrates on twentieth-century developments, and innovations in banking practices;
* The first banking history to provide full information on issues such as the long run profitability of British banking.