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Barclays to Acquire Best Egg for $800 Million to Bolster U.S. Consumer Banking

The bank targets a mid-2026 completion contingent on divesting its American Airlines card receivables.

Overview

  • Barclays expects the transaction to close in the second quarter of 2026, subject to required approvals and the previously announced sale of its American Airlines co-branded credit card receivables.
  • Best Egg has facilitated more than $40 billion in personal loans for over two million customers since 2013 and currently services about $11 billion.
  • The online platform funds loans through securitizations and forward-flow arrangements with private credit buyers, a model Barclays plans to continue while keeping a small portion of new loans on its balance sheet.
  • Barclays plans to use Best Egg as a consumer-loan origination engine to reach more U.S. customers and shift its mix toward capital-light, fee-based income alongside its partnership-driven credit card business.
  • Barclays projects a net increase of roughly 6 basis points to its group CET1 ratio in Q2 2026 when combined with the receivables sale and expects the acquisition to support mid-teens returns in its U.S. unit after 2026.