Barclays offers on-line banking-600 offshore clients to benefit |31 March 2006

This will save them the trouble of having to write letters to Seychelles to transfer the money, and they will also be able to view the statements of their accounts from overseas, rather than wait for them to be mailed from Seychelles.

The bank also hopes to be able to offer similar services involving transactions in foreign exchange starting in October this year in line with whatever Central Bank regulations will be in place then.

The bank’s managing director, Frank Hoareau, said this on Wednesday March 29 after the chief executive officer of Barclays Africa and Indian Ocean, Dominic Bruynseels, launched the on-line services in a ceremony attended by Vice-President Joseph Belmont; Employment and Economic Planning Minister, Jacquelin Dugasse; Foreign Affairs Minister, Patrick Pillay; Health and Social Affairs Minister, Vincent Meriton; Leader of the Opposition, Wavel Ramkalawan and top Barclays customers among other guests.

The bank also honoured its oldest customers, Jeanne MacQueen, who was not present at the function, and Kantilal Jivan Shah, who in turn got the honour to cut the tape and officially open the bank’s “Prestige service” section which officials said is for the upper class customers.

Mr Hoareau told Nation that with the expansion of the banking hall in which the ceremony took place, and the launching of the new services, the Barclays workforce has risen in strength from 128 to 137 staff members, “and we are likely to recruit more.”

Mr Bruynseels said that Barclays has been getting 30% of its income from international sources, but that this has recently risen to 40%, and the bank now hopes that the proportion will increase to 50%.

He said that Seychelles is a very important part of the continuing diversity of the bank’s international business.