Barclays scandal sends shockwaves worldwide

2012/07/09

THE Barclays rate-rigging scandal is sending shockwaves through world finance, putting ethics and
regulation under scrutiny, and raising the prospect of criminal charges in a sector-wide global probe. Britain's
Serious Fraud Office said on Friday it will investigate the interbank rate manipulation scandal which has
engulfed Barclays, forced three top resignations, tainted the City of London and sparked a political firestorm.
Barclays was fined STG290 million (RM1.4 billion) by British and US regulators just over one week ago, for
attempted manipulation of Libor and Euribor interbank interest rates between 2005 and 2009. Barclays
became the first bank to be fined as part of a global probe into suspected manipulation of the twin interest
rates that are crucial to the operation of short-term financing and global markets. British lawmakers voted on
Thursday to hold a parliamentary investigation into the scandal, instead of a full judicial inquiry. "This is a
multi-bank issue - albeit evidence and fines for other culpable banks will probably dribble out over a period of
many months or years," said Ian Gordon, banking sector analyst at Investec. "In broad terms, the issue itself
and the associated fallout are damaging for the financial sector, both in reputational terms, the costs of
investigation and fines - and any potential redress. "Moreover, the issue helps to distract from and hence
damage any initiatives to increase the flow of lending to the economy, with obvious negative consequences,"
Gordon said. BNP Paribas analysts agreed that the crisis had the potential to engulf other lenders. Libor
(London Interbank Offered Rate) is a flagship instrument used all over the world, affecting what banks,
businesses and individuals pay to borrow money. Euribor is the eurozone equivalent. The Libor rate is
calculated daily by data provider Thomson Reuters, on behalf of industry body the British Bankers'
Association, using estimates from banks of their own interbank rates. Euribor is provided by the
Brussels-based European Banking Federation, using data from 43 international banks. Barclays has admitted
that its traders had routinely submitted false readings, as they attempted to benefit their own lucrative
derivatives deals. The lender also posted lower Libor values from 2008 to prevent speculation that it will
require a government bailout such as rival groups Lloyds and the Royal Bank of Scotland. "Barclays
attempted to manipulate and made false reports concerning two global benchmark interest rates, Libor and
Euribor, on numerous occasions and sometimes on a daily basis over a four-year period, commencing as early
as 2005," the Commodity Futures Trading Commission said on June 27. AFP

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