Barclays to Appoint Nikhil Jha as India Diaspora Banking Head in Singapore

• Barclays is set to appoint Nikhil Jha as the head of its Singapore-based business catering to the Indian diaspora, according to sources familiar with the matter.
• Jha is expected to join the British banking giant in July 2026 after completing his gardening leave at Bank of Singapore.
• The move reflects Barclays’ growing focus on wealth management services for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), a segment that has witnessed rapid growth in recent years due to increasing global wealth among the Indian diaspora.
• Nikhil Jha has extensive experience in private banking and wealth management.
• He has been serving as Managing Director and Team Head for Global South India at Bank of Singapore since December 2016.
• Prior to that, he worked with Barclays in Singapore for more than two years until November 2016.
• His return to Barclays marks a significant homecoming after nearly a decade.

Background of Barclays’ Singapore Private Banking Business

• In 2016, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation acquired Barclays’ private banking assets in Singapore and Hong Kong.
• Following the acquisition, Barclays’ operations and staff in the region were integrated into Bank of Singapore, the private banking arm of OCBC.
• However, Barclays later re-entered Singapore’s private banking market in 2021 as part of its broader Asia wealth management expansion strategy.
• The bank has also announced plans to establish a new booking centre in Singapore this year to strengthen its regional operations.