Annual pre-tax profits at Barclays, the UK financial services group, jumped 20% to more than £3.8bn (€5.6bn) for 2003, helped by record performances in the investment banking and fund management divisions, led by top US banker Bob Diamond.

The performance-linked bonus of Matt Barrett, group chief executive, looked assured as he declared that the bank had met its goal set in 1999 of achieving top-quartile total shareholder return relative to its peer group over four years.