Broadening our reach

We have over 30 million customers in more than 50 countries and we are targeting the markets where we believe there will be higher growth.

We opened 644 branches and sales centres outside the UK, expanding our distribution in Europe and moving into mass-market services in emerging markets. In Africa we now have products and services that reach across all sectors of society.

The rationale behind this is clear: in Africa alone about 90% of the population is thought to have no access to banking. Being part of that introduction to banking services from the start allows us to build customer trust and retain those new customers as they migrate to more sophisticated products and services. This has been successful in our South African business, and in 2007 we’ve been applying the same thinking in other African countries, and in India.

We launched retail banking in India including a suite of current account, credit cards, savings and loans products. We also began to develop mobile phone banking which was launched in 2008. With the country's economy growing at around 9% a year and only one bank branch for every 16,000 people, there is a huge unmet demand for banking services. Mobile phone banking reduces the costs and bureaucracy of opening bricks-and-mortar outlets while making a full range of banking services accessible and affordable for many customers for the first time, especially in rural areas.

China Development Bank

Our partnership with China Development Bank (CDB), announced in July 2007, provides unprecedented access to jointly deliver financial services to the rapidly growing Chinese market. CDB can now access our extensive international franchise to help Chinese companies with their international commerce. We are sharing best practice on customer service, product development, risk management and corporate governance with our new partner.

Our service to start-up business customers also builds customer loyalty. Providing the funding to kick-start a small business is the key to sustainable growth and poverty alleviation in many emerging markets.

From microfinance to Barclays Business Clubs, we make generations of business banking experience available to entrepreneurs and small firms. In Kenya alone, more than 10,000 club members benefit from preferential pricing, educational events, and dedicated Business Development Managers. In 2007, we organised trade visits to potential markets such as China, India, Turkey and Egypt – and many members established profitable trading links as a result. Clubs in Ghana, Zambia, and Botswana were established in 2007.

Distribution points (branches and sales centres)

	2007	2006	change
Western Europe	798	653	+145
Emerging markets	550	214	+336
Absa	1,001	838	+163