Barclays chief executive C.S. Venkatakrishnan received a pay package worth just over £15 million in 2025, as the lender reported a stronger-than-expected rise in annual profits and increased its bonus pool.
The Evening Standard reported that Venkatakrishnan’s total remuneration climbed 29% to £15.05 million, up from £11.62 million the previous year, placing renewed focus on executive pay levels across the UK banking sector.
Barclays said annual pre-tax profit rose 13% to £9.1 billion, around £1 billion higher than the prior year, with the final quarter delivering a 12% increase in surplus to £1.86 billion. Analysts had expected figures closer to £9 billion for the year and £1.7 billion for the quarter.
Venkatakrishnan’s pay equated to 248 times the median Barclays employee, up from 201 times in 2024, marking one of the largest CEO packages at the bank since Bob Diamond’s £17 million award in 2011.
The sharp rise was driven largely by long-term performance share awards maturing during the year. Barclays’ accounts showed that Venkatakrishnan’s LTIP payouts were valued at £9.45 million, compared with £6.23 million in 2024, reflecting share price appreciation at vesting.
His annual bonus increased from £2.22 million to £3.3 million, while his base salary fell from £2.94 million to £2.06 million following changes in pay policy for senior management and so-called material risk takers. The adjustment came after the Labour government scrapped banker bonus caps introduced after the financial crisis.
The bank also disclosed that chief financial officer Anna Cross saw her remuneration nearly triple to £8.97 million, after collecting long-term share awards worth £5.61 million — the first tranche to vest since her appointment in 2022.
Barclays increased its bonus pool for 2025 performance to £2.21 billion, up 15% from £1.91 billion a year earlier. UK shop-floor staff represented by the Unite union were offered a 4% pay rise for junior employees and 3.2% overall.
Alongside the results, Barclays set out new financial targets, including an ambition to achieve a return on tangible equity of more than 14% by 2028, compared with 11.3% reported in its latest figures.
The lender said it plans at least £15 billion of capital distributions to shareholders between 2026 and 2028. Total distributions for 2025 reached £3.7 billion, up 23% from the previous year, including a £1.2 billion dividend and a further £1 billion share buyback.
With profits rising and shareholder payouts expanding, Barclays is positioning itself for higher returns — but executive remuneration will remain under scrutiny as pay gaps widen across the sector.