Top Barclays executive to lead UK banking supervisor
#Katharine Braddick#Barclays#PRA#Bank of England#Financial Regulation#Economic Growth#Sam Woods#Rachel Reeves
📌 Key Takeaways
Katharine Braddick, senior Barclays executive, appointed as chief supervisor for UK banks and insurers
Appointment reflects government's drive to reform financial regulation to boost economic growth
Move raises concerns about potential conflicts of interest and deregulation risks
Braddick replaces Sam Woods who shaped post-2008 financial crisis regulatory framework
Follows lobbying by some bank executives against a US regulator who warned about deregulation risks
📖 Full Retelling
Senior Barclays executive and former Treasury official Katharine Braddick has been appointed as the chief supervisor for British banks and insurers, replacing Sam Woods as CEO of the Bank of England's Prudential Regulation Authority at the end of June 2026, as the UK government seeks to reform financial regulation to boost economic growth. The appointment of an executive at one of the UK's biggest banks to lead the sector's chief supervisor is likely to be welcomed in many parts of the City of London as a sign that Chancellor Rachel Reeves is serious about reforming regulation to support economic growth. However, it also raises concerns about potential conflicts of interest and the risk that Braddick might usher in a wave of deregulation, potentially leaving the country more exposed to another financial crisis. This comes after two five-year terms by Woods, who has been influential in shaping much of the post-2008 financial crisis regulatory framework for British banks and insurers. Braddick joined Barclays four years ago after two decades in the public sector, including senior roles at the Treasury and the PRA. She was head of banking at the Financial Services Authority for a decade, including during the 2008 crisis, after which the watchdog was broken up. Her successor will inherit several key decisions, including whether to ease capital requirements for lenders.
🏷️ Themes
Regulatory Reform, Financial Supervision, Economic Growth, Banking Industry
British multinational banking and financial services company
Barclays PLC (, occasionally ) is a British multinational universal bank, headquartered in London, England. Barclays operates as five divisions: the UK Consumer Bank, UK Corporate Bank, Private Bank and Wealth Management (PBWM), Investment Bank, and the US Consumer Bank.
Barclays traces its origins ...
Financial regulation is a broad set of policies that apply to the financial sector in most jurisdictions, justified by two main features of finance: systemic risk, which implies that the failure of financial firms involves public interest considerations; and information asymmetry, which justifies cu...
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the English Government's banker and debt manager, and still one of the bankers for the government of the United Kingdom, it is the world's sec...
Top Barclays executive to lead UK banking supervisor on x (opens in a new window) Top Barclays executive to lead UK banking supervisor on facebook (opens in a new window) Top Barclays executive to lead UK banking supervisor on linkedin (opens in a new window) Top Barclays executive to lead UK banking supervisor on whatsapp (opens in a new window) Save Top Barclays executive to lead UK banking supervisor on x (opens in a new window) Top Barclays executive to lead UK banking supervisor on facebook (opens in a new window) Top Barclays executive to lead UK banking supervisor on linkedin (opens in a new window) Top Barclays executive to lead UK banking supervisor on whatsapp (opens in a new window) Save Martin Arnold in London Published February 27 2026 Updated February 27 2026 Jump to comments section Print this page Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. A senior Barclays executive and former Treasury official has been named as the chief supervisor for British banks and insurers, underscoring ministers’ drive to ease the regulatory burden imposed after the 2008 financial crisis. Katharine Braddick, head of strategic policy at Barclays, will replace Sam Woods as chief executive of the Bank of England’s Prudential Regulation Authority when his term expires at the end of June, the Treasury said on Friday. The appointment of an executive at one of the UK’s biggest banks as the sector’s chief supervisor is likely to be welcomed in many parts of the City of London as a sign that chancellor Rachel Reeves is serious about reforming regulation to support economic growth. But it could also raise concerns over conflicts of interest and the risk that Braddick ushers in a wave of deregulation that leaves the country more exposed to another next financial crisis. Reeves said in a statement that Braddick was “an accomplished pro-business leader with the experience to keep our financial system safe w...
