Barclays Chief Executive Shocks at Epstein Revelations as Bank Grapples with Staley Fallout
In a statement that underscored the gravity of the situation, Barclays CEO CS Venkatakrishnan expressed his "deep dismay and shock" at the "depravity and corruption" revealed in the recently published Jeffrey Epstein files. The comments came as the bank navigates the fallout from its former boss Jes Staley's ties to the convicted child sex offender.
While Venkatakrishnan stopped short of directly commenting on allegations against Staley, he made it clear that his thoughts were with the victims of Epstein's crimes. "My heart really goes out to the victims of this scandal and these crimes," he said in a statement.
However, many questions remain unanswered about Staley's involvement with Epstein. US prosecutors reviewed allegations against him in 2019, including claims that he forced a woman to touch his genitals during a massage before raping her, and left "bloody marks" on the arms of another woman. Despite these allegations, there is no evidence that prosecutors pursued any charges.
Staley has previously denied any wrongdoing, but has not commented on the allegations in months. He admitted to having sex with a member of Epstein's staff in New York during a UK court hearing last year, describing the encounter as "consensual."
The Barclays board, including chair Nigel Higgins, is currently battling a class action lawsuit in the US over claims that they defrauded and misled investors about Staley's relationship with Epstein. The lawsuit alleges that Barclays, Higgins, and Staley repeatedly misrepresented Staley's history to media and investors, resulting in significant economic losses.
The bank reported a near-13% increase in profits to £9.1bn in 2025, but its executives are under pressure to address the controversy surrounding their former leader. As one commentator noted, "This is for all of us: how is it that we live in a society in which this happened, and the cover-up happened as well?" The Bank of England governor, Andrew Bailey, echoed these sentiments last week.
The scandal has also led to a $12bn lawsuit by a US heiress over a Jersey trust allegedly linked to the Epstein scandal. Both Barclays and HSBC are facing allegations related to their ties to Epstein, highlighting the need for greater accountability in the financial sector.
As Barclays continues to navigate this crisis, one thing is clear: the bank's reputation depends on its ability to address these allegations and restore transparency and trust with investors and regulators.
In a statement that underscored the gravity of the situation, Barclays CEO CS Venkatakrishnan expressed his "deep dismay and shock" at the "depravity and corruption" revealed in the recently published Jeffrey Epstein files. The comments came as the bank navigates the fallout from its former boss Jes Staley's ties to the convicted child sex offender.
While Venkatakrishnan stopped short of directly commenting on allegations against Staley, he made it clear that his thoughts were with the victims of Epstein's crimes. "My heart really goes out to the victims of this scandal and these crimes," he said in a statement.
However, many questions remain unanswered about Staley's involvement with Epstein. US prosecutors reviewed allegations against him in 2019, including claims that he forced a woman to touch his genitals during a massage before raping her, and left "bloody marks" on the arms of another woman. Despite these allegations, there is no evidence that prosecutors pursued any charges.
Staley has previously denied any wrongdoing, but has not commented on the allegations in months. He admitted to having sex with a member of Epstein's staff in New York during a UK court hearing last year, describing the encounter as "consensual."
The Barclays board, including chair Nigel Higgins, is currently battling a class action lawsuit in the US over claims that they defrauded and misled investors about Staley's relationship with Epstein. The lawsuit alleges that Barclays, Higgins, and Staley repeatedly misrepresented Staley's history to media and investors, resulting in significant economic losses.
The bank reported a near-13% increase in profits to £9.1bn in 2025, but its executives are under pressure to address the controversy surrounding their former leader. As one commentator noted, "This is for all of us: how is it that we live in a society in which this happened, and the cover-up happened as well?" The Bank of England governor, Andrew Bailey, echoed these sentiments last week.
The scandal has also led to a $12bn lawsuit by a US heiress over a Jersey trust allegedly linked to the Epstein scandal. Both Barclays and HSBC are facing allegations related to their ties to Epstein, highlighting the need for greater accountability in the financial sector.
As Barclays continues to navigate this crisis, one thing is clear: the bank's reputation depends on its ability to address these allegations and restore transparency and trust with investors and regulators.
the fact that Jes Staley knew about these sick allegations from 2019 and did nothing is just mind-blowing 
and the whole "consensual" thing he said in court last year? 
come on dude, we all know what's really going on here. The problem is that the system doesn't seem to care about holding people like Staley accountable for their actions 
. Barclays needs to be transparent and honest about what happened with Epstein, not just make empty statements 
and it's sad but true that this scandal has damaged the reputation of banks in general 
. I'm keeping an eye on how they handle this, hoping for real change 
... it feels like we've seen this kind of scandal before in the 90s, like that Enron fiasco or WorldCom - all about bad leadership and greed 
... anyway, my point is, when did we become so numb to these things? It's like we're desensitized to corruption and scandals. And what's with the lack of accountability, eh? 
I remember reading about the fall of Lehman Brothers during the 2008 crisis, how it was all about greed and recklessness... it feels like history is repeating itself 
.
just think about it, the rich and powerful get away with some crazy stuff 
and we're still living in a world where this kinda thing can happen 
like, how many times do we need to see this before we start questioning our entire system of power? 
and it's time for some real accountability 
. And what really shocks me is that these CEOs are so worried about their own reputations, but not enough about the victims of Epstein's crimes 
.
. Is it because there's a culture of silence and fear? Or is it because people just don't care anymore? I'm all for accountability, but not at the cost of our morals and values 
.
.
... how can we ever really know if someone is telling the truth or hiding behind a mask of respectability?
staley needs to come clean about his involvement, it's not that hard to do. the fact that he admitted to having sex with a member of epstein's staff in new york but denies any wrongdoing is just weird. and now they're dealing with lawsuits left and right, it's like they're trying to sweep this under the rug 
It's disgusting and he needs to own up to his actions. 
interesting how fast the fallout from Staley's ties to Epstein is spreading across Barclays!