Major AML Failure and £42M FCA Fine (2025) (critical) Barclays Bank was fined £42 million by the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in July 2025 for failures in money laundering risk management. The bank failed to properly vet two clients (Stunt & Co and WealthTek), facilitating the movement of funds linked to financial crime. Specifically, Stunt & Co received £46.8 million from a known money laundering operation (Fowler Oldfield). The fine included £39.3m related to Stunt & Co.. Active FCA Investigation into High-Risk Customer AML Controls (critical) Barclays is facing a second financial crime investigation in the UK in three years (reported February 2025) by the FCA. The civil enforcement investigation focuses on historical oversight and management of certain customers with 'heightened risk' across Barclays Bank UK and Barclays Bank PLC, relating to compliance with Money Laundering Regulations 2007.. Securities Fraud Settlement over $17.7 Billion Debt Oversale (critical) Barclays settled a securities fraud lawsuit for $19.5 million in December 2024. The suit stemmed from the bank's failure to adhere to regulatory limits, resulting in the oversale of structured and exchange-traded notes by a staggering $17.7 billion between February 2021 and February 2023. The bank's management was characterized as 'recklessly' negligent due to a 'non-existent' debt tracking system, forcing the bank to set aside £1.59 billion (approx. $2.01 billion) to address the fallout.. £90 Million Provision for Car Finance Mis-selling Scandal (high) In February 2025, the bank set aside £90 million to address potential compensation claims related to a car finance mis-selling scandal, following a Court of Appeal ruling that expanded the scope of the issue for lenders.. £40 Million Fine for Reckless Qatar Fundraising Disclosure Failures (high) The FCA fined Barclays £40 million in November 2024 for 'reckless' conduct and lack of integrity during its 2008 fundraising drive. The bank failed to disclose arrangements, including hundreds of millions of pounds in fees paid to Qatari investors, misleading the market and shareholders about the true cost of raising capital to avoid a government bailout.. Significant IT Glitch and £12.5M Compensation Risk (high) In early February 2025, Barclays experienced a significant IT glitch that disrupted online and mobile banking services for several days. In March 2025, the bank informed the Treasury Select Committee that it faced having to pay up to £12.5 million in compensation due to technical outages over the last two years, including £5–7.5 million for the late January/early February incident.. CEO Resignation Amid Jeffrey Epstein Investigation (high) Group CEO Jes Staley stepped down in November 2021 amid an investigation by UK regulators (FCA and PRA) into his ties and characterization of his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.. High Exposure to Fossil Fuel Financing (medium) Barclays is identified as Europe's largest funder of fossil fuel companies, having invested $85 billion in fossil fuel extraction and $24 billion in expansion (based on 2019 data, cited in 2020). This has led to ongoing environmental criticism and coordinated protests, including vandalism of branches in June 2024.