Overview

• Barclays has officially abandoned its US-specific diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) targets following an internal review initiated after Donald Trump's 2024 election victory.
• The decision includes scrapping goals such as 33% of director and managing director roles being held by women and a 50% increase in ethnic minority executives.
• The bank will maintain its diversity commitments in the UK and other markets, reflecting a divergence in strategy based on regional regulatory landscapes.
• Barclays' CEO, C. S. Venkatakrishnan, emphasized that the policy shift aligns with local compliance requirements in the US while preserving the bank’s global workplace culture.
• This move is part of a broader trend of US corporations scaling back DEI initiatives in response to heightened political and legal challenges under the Trump administration.