Barclays has strengthened its corporate banking operations across Asia Pacific and the Middle East with two strategic senior appointments in newly created positions, both based in Singapore.

Vijay Shankar U.S has joined as managing director and head of global transaction banking for Asia Pacific and Middle East, while Amaar Khan has been appointed as managing director, chief information officer and head of corporate banking technology for the same regions.

The appointments underscore Barclays' commitment to expanding its presence in these key growth markets. Shankar brings over 38 years of experience to the role, including significant expertise in transaction banking across Asia Pacific. He previously served as executive director at ANZ Bank, where he established the transaction banking division across Asia. His career also includes positions at Standard Chartered and Deutsche Bank.

Khan, who possesses more than 27 years of technology experience, joins from Bank of New York where he served as managing director, chief information officer and head of engineering for Asia Pacific. His previous roles include positions at Bank of Singapore, Standard Chartered, Citi and Credit Suisse.

Pushkaraj Gumaste, head of corporate banking for Asia Pacific and Middle East, commented on the appointments: "Vijay and Amaar bring rich experience in their respective domains to Barclays. This enables us to better align our client-centric approach with evolving business and technology landscapes."

In his new role, Shankar will focus on building the global transaction banking business, working closely with technology and operations teams to strengthen client relationships. He will report to Karen Braithwaite, global head of transaction banking, and Pushkaraj Gumaste.

Khan will be responsible for developing a technology roadmap and collaborating with the International Corporate Bank to enhance product capabilities and drive commercial growth across the regions. He will report to Saket Sharma, chief information officer of corporate bank.

These appointments are part of a broader expansion strategy for Barclays in Asia Pacific, following several other senior hires in recent months, including Paul Johnson as head of equities for Asia Pacific and Yoichi Takemura as head of Japan macro trading in January 2025. The bank has also announced plans to establish a new private banking booking centre in Singapore.

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