Barclays Launches Wales Regional Board With £22bn Fund To Boost Cardiff Business Growth
Barclays has launched a dedicated Regional Board for Wales to bolster economic growth, coinciding with new research identifying Cardiff as a top ten UK city for high-growth businesses.
The new board, chaired by Greer Hooper, Head of Mid-Corporate Wales, aims to connect bank leaders to translate sectoral strengths into sustained commercial expansion across the nation.
Research from Barclays Eagle Labs and Beauhurst ranks Cardiff seventh among UK cities that outperform relative to their local business populations in concentrating high-growth companies.
The findings highlight the critical challenge of helping businesses convert early momentum into long-term success through necessary follow-on investment and strategic support.
National data indicates the number of active high-growth companies yet to secure a second equity round within the typical timeframe for Cardiff could increase by 76 per cent by 2035.
This projection underscores the urgent need for continued institutional support and innovation to ensure regional firms can access the capital required to scale effectively.
The board forms part of a wider network of Regional Leadership Boards established under Barclays’ Backing Britain’s Future initiative to deliver better against the 1.5 million target.
It includes making £22 billion available through a Business Prosperity Fund for eligible new and existing clients seeking lending or refinancing for growth projects.
Greer Hooper, Chair of the Wales Board, said: “Wales is exceptional for its range of strengths.” From compound semiconductors, advanced manufacturing and aerospace to renewable energy, life sciences, financial and professional services, the creative industries and a thriving visitor economy, Wales has the foundations for long-term growth. It is also home to major opportunities, from the Celtic and Anglesey Freeports to floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea, that can reshape connectivity, unlock investment and create opportunities for local supply chains.
Our new Board will bring together the full breadth of Barclays so that we are better connected to Welsh priorities, more visible to the businesses and communities we serve, and better able to support sustainable growth across Wales.
The board launches at a pivotal moment, seeking to help businesses engage with investment, supply-chain, and growth opportunities created by projects of this significant scale.
