Barclays Outlook 2025
Can anyone provide insight into where the bank is at? The UBS-defects are floundering but how are the new hires? What are the best groups and what are their exist like?
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Barclays has been positioning itself as a strong contender among European banks, maintaining its IB market share while others like UBS and Deutsche Bank have struggled. The bank has been growing through strategic senior and junior hires, particularly in its Tech group, which has been improving despite strong competition from other banks. Groups like Utilities, Financial Sponsors, Consumer, Healthcare, LevFin, and Industrials are noted as strong performers.
Barclays operates with a collaborative and progressive culture, which is often highlighted in surveys. Exit opportunities are group-dependent and influenced by individual factors like networking and interviewing skills, but the bank does not significantly limit exits overall. Deal flow has been solid, with Barclays taking market share from European competitors who have reduced their IB investments.
For 2025, Barclays is expected to continue its trajectory as a leading European bank in IB, with a focus on maintaining and growing its market share.
Sources: Thoughts on Barclays in 2020, What's up with the European banks and SA 2020? (UBS, DB, Barclays), 2020s Investment Banking Outlook, UBS won with CS, How is UBS in 2021?
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They replaced the UBS defects with very strong seniors from other top banks. There was a slow period for a bit but things seem to be ramped up again. Not sure about exits entirely but depending on your group you can get plenty of UMM looks and some MFs
Def looks like its ramped up based on their earnings. In terms of exits, anecdotally the best groups are Sponsors, Healthcare, Tech, PU&I. Quick Linkedin pull from past ~2-3 years gets you:
HC: Carlyle, KKR, BainCap, TPG, CD&R, NMC, Veritas, THL, WCAS
Tech: CVC, Vista, Apax, GTCR, MDP, HIG, Veritas, Platinum, BC Partners
PU&I: Apollo, BX Infra, TPG, HIG, Tiger Infra, TJC
Sponsors is a bit harder to find (small class size)
Clearly, from any of these groups MF/UMM is possible. Up to you at that point.
Add Industrials, placement just as good as some of those groups (maybe not HC but at that point it’s by the person)
I really don't understand where the perception of the Sponsors group being a strong PE feeder originated. To my knowledge, there hasn't been a single placement to a MF (on the investment team, or otherwise) in the past ~5 years. In fact, the group has primarily retained talent (it is known for being solid culture), or juniors have exited to corporate.
How does Barclays compare with the likes of Citi, BofA, UBS etc atm?
Please don’t humiliate Barclays with UBS comparison
Citi => BofA >> Barclays >>>> UBS
Business SEEMS to be good, PUI healthcare, etc are incredibly busy right now. IMO culture is getting even better... obviously depends on group though (tech and industrials still kinda whack, but i feel like the average WSO poster would probs fit in fine with them). Healthcare is good culture but their placement process is more bizarre than Alabama rush
tt won't let me there but the exit opps are certainly there it really just depends how much of a hardo you are/what your goals are... pe is not the promised land anymore and at least the people I'm around are kind of realizing that and pivoting
how abt the other cov groups?
What is the consensus on consumer, comms, and FIG?
Since it seems like there are a lot of incoming SA lurking here, I would probably rank the groups right now as the following. This is optimizing for both culture and exits
Tier 1 (MF/UMM Within Reach)
Tier 2 (MM/UMM Within Reach)
Tier 3 (MM Within Reach)
Tier 4 (Oh No)
Industrials, as far as exits, probably belongs in tier 1 — they get every look they want.
That being said, the culture is horrendous and hours are brutal, by far the worst at Barc.
Any ideas on exits from pub fin? specifically project finance.
The ProjFin muni team just had a junior leave for a reputable PC shop. They have a few alums in good seats in non-muni roles (i.e. one is a VP at a reputable Infra PE shop)
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