Barclays' Hong Kong equities business likes JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs hires

Barclays may be cutting costs with the help of its new co-COO from Goldman Sachs, but it's also hiring from Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan in Asia for its equities sales and trading business.

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Fresh from adding Paul Johnson from Goldman Sachs as head of APAC equities in January, Barclays has now hired Daniel-Ranson-Acton from JPMorgan as head of international cash equity sales in APAC. 

Ranson-Acton spent nine years at JPMorgan, six of which were spent in Hong Kong. He joined Barclays this month after a period of gardening leave that included partially climbing Mount Everest. 

Bloomberg reported in January that Barclays has a three-year plan for its Asia equities business. Ranson-Acton will presumably be working with Christian Treuer, the head of APAC equities distribution, who joined from Bank of America in 2023. 

Barclays' Asian equities business has a tempestuous history. Jes Staley, the now-disgraced former CEO who was once an equities trader, closed the APAC equities business in 2016 with the loss of around 250 jobs. The bank decided to try again two years later and in 2021 Staley admitted he'd made a mistake.

Other new recruits may yet appear at Barclays. Although it likes to hire from major US banks, it's also thought to have recruited Joseph Lee, the head of block trading at HSBC. 

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