29 July 2011

Barclays has extended the Bank’s footprint by opening a second branch in Eastleigh. The new branch will exclusively offer Shariah-compliant services, and complement the services rendered by the Barclays 1st Avenue branch in Eastleigh.

The new branch, located on Sixth Street, Eastleigh, was officially opened by Barclays Consumer Banking Director, Abdi Mohamed, in an event attended by area business leaders, customers and representatives from the community.

Mr. Mohamed said the new branch was in response to customer feedback requesting additional banking services to support the growing number of clients who subscribe to the Islamic faith.

“The opening of this branch is underpinned by the growing Muslim community in Eastleigh, which has over time emerged as the main commercial centre of the Eastlands area and a gateway into Northern Kenya,” observed Mr. Mohamed.

“It is estimated that there are currently more than 3,000 formal and informal traders in Eastleigh dealing in a wide range of commodities, including electronics, clothing and food. The area attracts tens of thousands of customers every day, with weekends remaining the business period. It was for this reason that Barclays was the first bank in Eastleigh to open on Sundays.

“All the services that Barclays will provide at the Sixth Street branch will be Shariah compliant. In particular, we will offer La Riba Vehicle Finance and various Shariah-compliant current accounts,” Mr. Mohamed said.

Noting that convenience and accessibility to financial services is important to Barclays, Mr. Mohamed said that Barclays would continue to review and increase its channels, which include its branches, ATM network as well as the Bank’s Hello Money mobile banking service.

The opening of the new branch will be the 119th Barclays branches in Kenya. These branches are complemented by 238 ATMs and a host of Barclays colleagues across the country focused on making our customer’s lives easier.

About Barclays and Islamic Banking:
In 2005, Barclays Kenya set the pace when it pioneered the country’s first Shariah-compliant product: Barclays La Riba. To ensure 100 percent compliance with Shariah law, the bank follows a robust process and governance framework