Analysts at Credit Suisse, who have restarted coverage of Barclays following a pause imposed after the Swiss bank worked on the UK’s government’s rescue of the British banking industry, have sounded a warning over the bank's rising cost base and cited it as a potential threat to future profitability.

Rising costs at Barclays Capital, the investment banking arm, resulting from the acquisition last year of Lehman Brothers' North American business could threaten the future profitability of the UK bank, according to analysts.