Speaking, as we were, about banks and other institutions getting too big, according to the FT, Barclays Plc has been ‘exploring a potential merger with rival banks including Standard Chartered Plc, following pressure from an activist investor’.
You may remember that Barclays didn’t need a bailout from our government; instead it had a cash injection (of £8bn or so) from Qatar. Qatar also owns quite a lot of central London. The Serious Fraud Office has been and is trying very hard to bring charges over some apparently very murky dealings that followed the Barclays deal. I have a feeling they won’t get very far.
