Stock Markets February 10, 2026

Barclays Raises CEO Pay Package to £15 Million as Bonus Pool Expands

Lift in variable compensation and a larger staff bonus pool reflect stronger recent results at the London-based bank

By Avery Klein
Barclays Raises CEO Pay Package to £15 Million as Bonus Pool Expands

Barclays has increased chief executive C.S. Venkatakrishnan’s total remuneration to 15 million pounds for 2025 from 11.6 million pounds a year earlier, driven by a rise in variable pay and bonuses. The lender cut the CEO’s fixed pay while raising variable compensation to 12.7 million pounds, and reported a 15% increase in its overall staff bonus pool to 2.2 billion pounds.

Key Points

  • Barclays increased CEO C.S. Venkatakrishnan’s total remuneration to 15 million pounds for 2025, from 11.6 million pounds the previous year.
  • The bank reduced the CEO’s fixed pay while raising variable compensation and bonuses to 12.7 million pounds from 8.5 million in 2024; the total staff bonus pool rose 15% to 2.2 billion pounds.
  • London-based Barclays is among European lenders benefiting from stronger profits and higher share prices over the past two years, enabling larger bonus awards when executives meet performance targets - this primarily affects the banking and financial services sectors.

Barclays has set the total pay package for chief executive C.S. Venkatakrishnan at 15 million pounds for 2025, up from 11.6 million pounds in the prior year, the bank said on Tuesday. The rise in total remuneration follows higher bonus payouts across the British banking sector.

The bank reduced the CEO’s fixed salary component but increased his variable remuneration, with bonuses and other variable pay climbing to 12.7 million pounds compared with 8.5 million in 2024. Internally he is referred to as Venkat.

Barclays, which is based in London, is among a group of European lenders that have seen profits and share prices strengthen over the past two years. That improvement in financial performance has coincided with greater bonus awards to senior executives who meet key performance measures.

In its 2025 results, the lender disclosed that the total bonus pool for employees rose 15% to 2.2 billion pounds. The bank also provided a currency conversion reference of $1 = 0.7316 pounds.


Context on investment tools mentioned

The bank update included a reference to an investment research product, ProPicks AI, which evaluates stocks including Barclays using more than 100 financial metrics. The product description states it applies AI to generate stock ideas based on fundamentals, momentum, and valuation without bias. The write-up cites past notable winners highlighted by the product, naming Super Micro Computer with a gain of +185% and AppLovin with a gain of +157%.

The promotional text accompanying that research offering asks whether Barclays (BARC) is currently featured in any ProPicks AI strategies and suggests the tool can compare the stock to other opportunities in the same sector.


What the figures show

  • Total CEO pay for 2025: 15 million pounds, up from 11.6 million pounds a year earlier.
  • Variable pay for the CEO (including bonuses): 12.7 million pounds in 2025 versus 8.5 million in 2024.
  • Group staff bonus pool: up 15% to 2.2 billion pounds in 2025.
  • Currency reference included: $1 = 0.7316 pounds.

The report does not provide further detail on the specific performance targets that drove the increased variable pay nor on how the split between fixed and variable compensation will evolve beyond 2025.

Risks

  • The article does not specify which performance targets were met to justify the increased variable pay, creating uncertainty about the sustainability of such bonus levels - relevant to investors and corporate governance observers in the banking sector.
  • Shifts in compensation mix toward variable pay and away from fixed pay are noted, but the long-term implications for cost structure or executive incentives are not detailed in the report - a consideration for shareholders and regulators in financial services.

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