Barclays is 'working to become more transparent'

In reporting Barclays' half-year results, its Board Chairman, Marcus Agius turns to transparency to restore both integrity and market participants' trust in Barclays.

Our Citizenship agenda is now more important than ever; we have ambitious commitments that we must deliver and continue to evolve to address the issues that matter most to those we serve. 

We must focus on getting the fundamentals right – serving our customers and clients with integrity and maintaining the highest standards of service – while reviewing our business values and working to become more transparent.  

The question is:  will Barclays actually deliver transparency and begin disclosing on an ongoing basis its current global asset, liability and off-balance sheet exposure details?

This is the level of disclosure that is consistent with a bank that says "I can stand on my own two feet and I have nothing to hide".

If Barclays doesn't deliver this level of disclosure, the question is: why would anyone trust Barclays given that it has confessed to lying for the benefit of its bankers and itself and is clearly hiding something?