The UK-based private bank has established a presence in Spain, forming part of a wider European strategy.

Barclays Private Bank has an on-the-ground presence in Spain, having hired Juan Vilarrasa as head of private bank coverage. In this new role, Vilarrasa will bring a range of advisory and discretionary products and services to family offices and ultra-high net worth clients.

Vilarrasa reports to Pat McCormack, private banking head for Barclays Europe. He will also co-locate with the Barclays corporate and investment bank teams in existing Barclays offices in Madrid, the UK-listed lender said in a statement yesterday.

Under the leadership of Gérald Mathieu, head of private banking for Europe and Middle East, Vilarrasa will connect clients in the country with the bank’s European private bankers and product specialists.

For the past five years Vilarrasa has set up a technology platform and wellness app, raising finance from investors including UHNW individuals, Spanish banks and public sector sources. Before this, he was part of the equity capital markets and corporate finance team at Barclays proposing capital-raising solutions for clients. Previously, he has served in corporate finance roles at Ambers & Co (now EY) and Deloitte. Vilarrasa gained an MBA from IESE Business School in Barcelona and studied at Yale School of Management as part of an MBA exchange programme. 

Barclays is taking advantage of its Dublin platform – giving it a foothold in the European Union’s single market post-Brexit – to offer clients business and investment solutions throughout Europe, it said. 

This year, Barclays Private Bank has expanded its presence with new teams in Italy, France and Singapore. 

This publication interviewed Barclays about its European strategy here. It has also been reigniting its presence in the Asia region.