Global financial firm Barclays on Wednesday forecast India will have over 400,000 dollar-millionaires by 2017, making it a leading world wealth market.

The forecast came as it launched its wealth management business in India to provide client advisory and investment services to `high net worth` individuals.

LONDON, Oct 12, 2007 (AFP) - Barclays Capital, the investment banking arm of British bank Barclays, was profitable in September amid the global credit squeeze, Barclays president Bob Diamond said Friday.

'At Barclays Capital, September profits were substantially ahead of July and August,' Diamond said in a trading update.

'I continue to expect profitable trading for the rest of 2007,' he added.

LONDON, Oct 10, 2007 (AFP) - Barclays, Britain's third biggest bank, said Wednesday that it has signed a five-year alliance with China Development Bank (CDB) over the trading of commodities.

'With the CDB's strong market position in China and Barclays extensive commodities capabilities, I have no doubt that this arrangement will provide substantial long-term benefits for both parties,' Barclays Asia chief executive Robert Morrice said in a statement.

Barclays noted that it has committed to work closely with the CDB to develop commodity trading capabilities within CDB.

LONDON, Oct 5, 2007 (AFP) - A European consortium led by the Royal Bank of Scotland was in a strong position Friday to buy Dutch lender ABN Amro after bitter rival Barclays withdrew from Europe's biggest-ever banking takeover battle.

British bank Barclays acknowledged in a statement it had failed to win sufficient support from ABN Amro shareholders to buy the Dutch bank for about 62.5 billion euros (88 billion dollars).

LONDON, Oct 5, 2007 (AFP) - British bank Barclays on Friday withdrew its takeover offer for Dutch lender ABN Amro, clearing the path for a higher bid by a consortium led by Royal Bank of Scotland.

Barclays acknowledged in a statement it had failed to win sufficient support from ABN Amro shareholders to buy the Dutch bank.

LONDON, Sept 14, 2007 (AFP) - Shareholders in British bank Barclays on Friday backed a bid to acquire ABN Amro of The Netherlands after Barclays mangement assured them the deal would not be done at any price.

A Barclays statement issued after a shareholders' general assembly said the proposal had been approved by 90 percent of votes cast.

An offer for ABN Amro by Barclays is now valued at 62 billion euros (86 billion dollars) but the Dutch giant is also being courted by a three-bank consortium headed by Royal Bank of Scotland, which has bid 71 billion euros.

LONDON, Sept 10, 2007 (AFP) - Barclays Capital, the investment banking arm of British bank Barclays, was profitable in August despite it coinciding with the start of a global credit squeeze, Barclays president Bob Diamond said Monday.

August's profit 'was on the back of a profitable July. Year to date profits are well ahead of 2006,' Diamond said in a speech delivered in New York, excerpts of which were posted on the London Stock Exchange newswire.

LONDON, Aug 31, 2007 (AFP) - Barclays' share price rose on Friday after Britain's third biggest bank denied it was facing liquidity problems amid a collapse of the US subprime mortgage market.

In morning trade, Barclays climbed 0.84 percent to 602.50 pence on London's FTSE 100. The British capital's leading share index was up by 0.56 percent at 6,246.70 points.

Barclays on Thursday confirmed it was the financial institution that had borrowed 1.6 billion pounds (2.4 billion euros, 3.2 billion dollars) from a Bank of England emergency lending facility on Wednesday.

LONDON, Aug 14, 2007 (AFP) - A European banking consortium seeking to buy ABN Amro said Tuesday that it owned 3.25 percent of the Dutch bank after an additional stock purchase totalling nearly 41 million shares.

The consortium, led by Royal Bank of Scotland and which also comprises Santander of Spain and Belgian-Dutch group Fortis, launched a formal offer for ABN last month which valued the bank at 71.1 billion euros (52.4 billion dollars).

THE HAGUE, Aug 13, 2007 (AFP) - Dutch Finance Minister Wouter Bos on Monday approved a proposed takeover by British bank Barclays of Dutch bank ABN Amro.

Bos issued a so-called declaration of no-objection, which is a necessary hurdle for any takeover candidates for ABN Amro, but imposed minor conditions seen as posing no difficulty to Barclays.

A three-bank consortium led by Royal Bank of Scotland is also vying to buy ABN Amro and has also asked for a declaration.

The finance minister has not yet issued a decision in their case.

UTRECHT, Netherlands, Aug 6, 2007 (AFP) - The world's biggest banking takeover battle came a step closer Monday as shareholders of Dutch-Belgian group Fortis approved a joint bid for rival Dutch lender ABN Amro.

The takeover attempt, with partners Royal Bank of Scotland and Spain's Santander, was endorsed at an extraordinary shareholders' meeting in the Dutch city of Utrecht after a similar one in Brussels earlier in the day.

The consortium of three European banks is vying with British bank Barclays for ABN Amro.

LONDON, Aug 6, 2007 (AFP) - Barclays officially launched its takeover offer for Dutch banking giant ABN Amro on Monday, heralding a bidding battle with Royal Bank of Scotland and its allies in what will be the world's biggest banking takeover deal.

The Barclays offer is worth 65.5 billion euros (90 billion dollars) and is mainly in shares, compared with a mostly cash offer of 71.1 billion euros from a RBS-led consortium of three banks.

BRUSSELS, Aug 6, 2007 (AFP) - The European Commission on Monday approved British bank Barclays' proposed acquisition of the Dutch banking group ABN Amro, concluding that the deal would not significantly impede competition in Europe.

Barclays is locked in a bidding battle with Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and its allies to conclude the world's biggest banking takeover deal.

'Barclays is currently not active in retail and corporate banking in ABN Amro's home market (The Netherlands),' the Commission said in a statement.

LONDON, Aug 6, 2007 (AFP) - British bank Barclays officially launched a takeover bid Monday for Dutch peer ABN Amro worth more than 90 billion dollars (65.5 billion euros), as it looked to secure the banking sector's biggest tie-up.

But Barclays is battling a three-bank consortium headed by Royal Bank of Scotland that has offered 71.1 billion euros for ABN, of which 93 percent would be in cash.

ABN Amro said earlier Monday it would hold an extraordinary shareholders' meeting on September 20 to discuss the rival offers.

LONDON, Aug 2, 2007 (AFP) - British bank Barclays, locked in a bidding war for Dutch peer ABN Amro, posted Thursday a healthy profits increase and falling bad debts during the first half of 2007.

Barclays is battling a European consortium led by the Royal Bank of Scotland for control of ABN Amro. However, recent stock market falls have eroded the value of Barclays' bid which is mostly in shares -- in contrast with the RBS bid which is mainly in cash.

THE HAGUE, July 30, 2007 (AFP) - Dutch bank ABN Amro said Monday it would recommend neither of two mammoth takeover offers and was withdrawng its backing for a bid from Barclays over a rival proposal by a three-bank consortium.

It said its board of directors and its supervisory board were 'not currently in a position to recommend either offer for acceptance to ABN AMRO shareholders.'

THE HAGUE, July 30, 2007 (AFP) - Dutch bank ABN Amro, at the centre of one of the biggest takeover battles in the industry, Monday said it had withdrawn its support for the Barclays bid over a rival bid by a three-bank consortium.

'The boards are not currently in a position to recommend either offer for acceptance to ABN AMRO shareholders,' the bank said in a statement.

BEIJING, July 24, 2007 (AFP) - China`s huge investment in Barclays Bank is part of the cashed-up Asian giant`s plan to spend big on foreign assets around the world and deepen its global commercial influence, analysts said Tuesday.

The deal announced Monday that the government-run China Development Bank could invest up to 9.8 billion euros (13.5 billion dollars) in Britain`s third largest lender would be China`s biggest overseas investment.

LONDON, July 23, 2007 (AFP) - Barclays called in two state-backed Asian financial powerhouses on Monday to strengthen its offer for ABN Amro amid a European bidding battle for the Dutch bank worth nearly 100 billion dollars.

Barclays, the third-biggest British bank, sweetened its takeover bid for ABN Amro by including a cash element as part of a revised informal offer worth 67.5 billion euros (93.3 billion dollars).

Barclays acted after selling shares worth up to 13.4 billion euros to two state-backed Asian investors, it said in a statement.

ATTENTION - REPEATING to correct 8th par to show bid launched Friday, sted as sent. Herewith corrected repetition ///

SINGAPORE, July 23, 2007 (AFP) - Singapore`s state-linked investment firm Temasek Holdings said Monday it is investing 975 million pounds (2.0 billion US) in Barclays, the British lender fighting to take over Dutch lender ABN Amro.

The investment is based on a price of 7.20 pounds for each new share issued by Barclays and represents 2.1 percent of the British lender`s existing issued share capital, the Singapore firm said in a statement.