The information in this preliminary pricing supplement is not complete and may be changed. This preliminary pricing supplement and the accompanying prospectus and prospectus supplement do not constitute an offer to sell these securities, and we are not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.
Subject to Completion
Preliminary Pricing Supplement dated June 5, 2023
Preliminary Pricing Supplement (To the Prospectus dated May 23, 2022 and the Prospectus Supplement dated June 27, 2022) | Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2) Registration No. 333-265158 |
US$
FIXED RATE CALLABLE NOTES DUE JUNE 23, 2033
Principal Amount: | US$ | Issuer: | Barclays Bank PLC |
Issue Price: | 100.00% | Series: | Global Medium-Term Notes, Series A |
Payment at Maturity: | If you hold the Notes to maturity, you will receive 100% of your principal, subject to the creditworthiness of Barclays Bank PLC and the exercise of any U.K. Bail-in Power by the relevant U.K. resolution authority. Any payment on the Notes is not guaranteed by any third party and is subject to both the creditworthiness of the Issuer and to the exercise of any U.K. Bail-in Power by the relevant U.K. resolution authority. If Barclays Bank PLC were to default on its payment obligations or become subject to the exercise of any U.K. Bail-in Power (or any other resolution measure) by the relevant U.K. resolution authority, you might not receive any amounts owed to you under the Notes. See “Consent to U.K. Bail-in Power” and “Selected Risk Factors” in this pricing supplement and “Risk Factors” in the accompanying prospectus supplement for more information. | ||
Original Trade Date: | June 20, 2023 | Maturity Date: | June 23, 2033 subject to Redemption at the Option of the Issuer (as set forth below). |
Original Issue Date: | June 23, 2023 | Denominations: | Minimum denominations of US$1,000 and integral multiples of US$1,000 thereafter. |
Interest Rate Type: | Fixed Rate | ||
Interest Rate: | 5.75% per annum | ||
Consent to U.K. Bail-in Power | Notwithstanding and to the exclusion of any other term of the Notes or any other agreements, arrangements or understandings between Barclays Bank PLC and any holder or beneficial owner of the Notes, by acquiring the Notes, each holder and beneficial owner of the Notes acknowledges, accepts, agrees to be bound by, and consents to the exercise of, any U.K. Bail-in Power by the relevant U.K. resolution authority. See “Consent to U.K. Bail-in Power” on page PS-3 of this pricing supplement. | ||
Interest Payment Dates: | Payable semi-annually in arrears on the 23rd day of each June and December, commencing on December 23, 2023 and ending on the Maturity Date (or the Early Redemption Date, if applicable). | ||
Redemption at the Option of the Issuer: | We may redeem your Notes, in whole or in part, at the Redemption Price set forth below on the 23rd day of each March, June, September and December commencing on June 23, 2024 to but excluding the Maturity Date, provided we give at least five business days’ prior written notice to the trustee. If we exercise our redemption option, the Interest Payment Date on which we so exercise will be referred to as the “Early Redemption Date”. | ||
Redemption Price: | If we exercise our redemption option, you will receive on the Early Redemption Date 100% of the principal amount together with any accrued and unpaid interest to but excluding the Early Redemption Date. | ||
Interest Payment Amount: | For each Interest Period, the interest payment amount per $1,000 principal amount Note will be calculated as follows: $1,000 × Interest Rate × (days in Interest Period/360) where the number of days in the Interest Period will be determined based on a 30/360 Day Count Convention. | ||
[Terms of Note continue on the following page] Price to Public (1), (2) Agent’s Commission (2) Proceeds to Barclays Bank PLC Per Note 100.00% 1.50% 98.50% Total $ $ $ (1) Because dealers who purchase the Notes for sale to certain fee-based advisory accounts may forgo some or all selling concessions, fees or commissions, the public offering price for investors purchasing the Notes in such fee-based advisory accounts may be between $985.00 and $1,000 per Note. Investors that hold their Notes in fee-based advisory or trust accounts may be charged fees by the investment advisor or manager of such account based on the amount of assets held in those accounts, including the Notes. (2) Barclays Capital Inc. will receive commissions from the Issuer up to $15.00 per $1,000 principal amount, and may retain all or a portion of these commissions or use all or a portion of these commissions to pay variable selling concessions or fees to other dealers. Barclays Capital Inc. may forgo all or a portion of these commissions and sell Notes to certain institutional accounts at an offering price between $985.00 and $1,000 per Note. Investing in the Notes involves a number of risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-9 of the prospectus supplement and “Selected Risk Factors” beginning on page PS-4 of this pricing supplement. The Notes will not be listed on any U.S. securities exchange or quotation system. Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined that this pricing supplement is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense. The Notes constitute our direct, unconditional, unsecured and unsubordinated obligations and are not deposit liabilities of either Barclays PLC or Barclays Bank PLC and are not covered by the U.K. Financial Services Compensation Scheme or insured or guaranteed by the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency of the United States, the United Kingdom or any other jurisdiction. | |||
Interest Period: | The initial Interest Period will begin on, and include, the Original Issue Date and end on, but exclude, the first Interest Payment Date. Each subsequent Interest Period will begin on, and include, the Interest Payment Date for the immediately preceding Interest Period and end on, but exclude, the next following Interest Payment Date. The final Interest Period will end on, but exclude, the Maturity Date (or the Early Redemption Date, if applicable). |
Business Day Convention/Day Count Fraction: | Following, unadjusted; 30/360 |
Business Day: | A Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday that is neither a day on which banking institutions in New York City generally are authorized or obligated by law, regulation, or executive order to be closed. |
Settlement: | DTC; Book-entry; Transferable. |
Listing: | The Notes will not be listed on any U.S. securities exchange or quotation system. |
Agent: | Barclays Capital Inc. |
CUSIP/ISIN: | 06745MHX9 / US06745MHX92 |
You should read this pricing supplement together with the prospectus dated May 23, 2022, as supplemented by the documents listed below relating to our Global Medium-Term Notes, Series A, of which these Notes are a part. This pricing supplement, together with the documents listed below, contains the terms of the Notes and supersedes all prior or contemporaneous oral statements as well as any other written materials including preliminary or indicative pricing terms, correspondence, trade ideas, structures for implementation, sample structures, brochures or other educational materials of ours. You should carefully consider, among other things, the matters set forth under “Risk Factors” in the prospectus supplement, as the Notes involve risks not associated with conventional debt securities. We urge you to consult your investment, legal, tax, accounting and other advisors before you invest in the Notes.
You may access these documents on the SEC website at www.sec.gov as follows (or if such address has changed, by reviewing our filings for the relevant date on the SEC website):
| ● | Prospectus dated May 23, 2022: |
| ● | Prospectus Supplement dated June 27, 2022: |
Our SEC file number is 1-10257. As used in this term sheet, the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our” refers to Barclays Bank PLC.
You may revoke your offer to purchase the Notes at any time prior to the time at which we accept such offer by notifying the applicable agent. We reserve the right to change the terms of, or reject any offer to purchase the Notes prior to their issuance. In the event of any changes to the terms of the Notes, we will notify you and you will be asked to accept such changes in connection with your purchase. You may also choose to reject such changes in which case we may reject your offer to purchase.
PS-2
Notwithstanding and to the exclusion of any other term of the Notes or any other agreements, arrangements or understandings between us and any holder or beneficial owner of the Notes, by acquiring the Notes, each holder and beneficial owner of the Notes acknowledges, accepts, agrees to be bound by, and consents to the exercise of, any U.K. Bail-in Power by the relevant U.K. resolution authority.
Under the U.K. Banking Act 2009, as amended, the relevant U.K. resolution authority may exercise a U.K. Bail-in Power in circumstances in which the relevant U.K. resolution authority is satisfied that the resolution conditions are met. These conditions include that a U.K. bank or investment firm is failing or is likely to fail to satisfy the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (the “FSMA”) threshold conditions for authorization to carry on certain regulated activities (within the meaning of section 55B FSMA) or, in the case of a U.K. banking group company that is a European Economic Area (“EEA”) or third country institution or investment firm, that the relevant EEA or third country relevant authority is satisfied that the resolution conditions are met in respect of that entity.
The U.K. Bail-in Power includes any write-down, conversion, transfer, modification and/or suspension power, which allows for (i) the reduction or cancellation of all, or a portion, of the principal amount of, interest on, or any other amounts payable on, the Notes; (ii) the conversion of all, or a portion, of the principal amount of, interest on, or any other amounts payable on, the Notes into shares or other securities or other obligations of Barclays Bank PLC or another person (and the issue to, or conferral on, the holder or beneficial owner of the Notes such shares, securities or obligations); (iii) the cancellation of the Notes and/or (iv) the amendment or alteration of the maturity of the Notes, or amendment of the amount of interest or any other amounts due on the Notes, or the dates on which interest or any other amounts become payable, including by suspending payment for a temporary period; which U.K. Bail-in Power may be exercised by means of a variation of the terms of the Notes solely to give effect to the exercise by the relevant U.K. resolution authority of such U.K. Bail-in Power. Each holder and beneficial owner of the Notes further acknowledges and agrees that the rights of the holders or beneficial owners of the Notes are subject to, and will be varied, if necessary, solely to give effect to, the exercise of any U.K. Bail-in Power by the relevant U.K. resolution authority. For the avoidance of doubt, this consent and acknowledgment is not a waiver of any rights holders or beneficial owners of the Notes may have at law if and to the extent that any U.K. Bail-in Power is exercised by the relevant U.K. resolution authority in breach of laws applicable in England.
For more information, please see “Selected Risk Factors—Risks Relating to the Issuer—You May Lose Some or All of Your Investment If Any U.K. Bail-in Power Is Exercised by the Relevant U.K. Resolution Authority” in this pricing supplement as well as “U.K. Bail-in Power,” “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to the Securities Generally—Regulatory action in the event a bank or investment firm in the Group is failing or likely to fail, including the exercise by the relevant U.K. resolution authority of a variety of statutory resolution powers, could materially adversely affect the value of any securities” and “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to the Securities Generally—Under the terms of the securities, you have agreed to be bound by the exercise of any U.K. Bail-in Power by the relevant U.K. resolution authority” in the accompanying prospectus supplement.
PS-3
An investment in the Notes involves significant risks. You should read the risks summarized below in connection with, and the risks summarized below are qualified by reference to, the risks described in more detail in the “Risk Factors” section beginning on page S-7 of the prospectus supplement. We urge you to consult your investment, legal, tax, accounting and other advisers and to invest in the Notes only after you and your advisors have carefully considered the suitability of an investment in the Notes in light of your particular circumstances.
Risks Relating to the Notes Generally
| ● | Suitability of the Notes for Investment—You should reach a decision whether to invest in the Notes after carefully considering, with your advisors, the suitability of the Notes in light of your investment objectives and the specific information set out in this pricing supplement, the prospectus supplement and the prospectus. Neither the Issuer nor Barclays Capital Inc. makes any recommendation as to the suitability of the Notes for investment. |
| ● | The Notes Will Be Subject to Redemption at Our Option—We may redeem the Notes prior to the Maturity Date on the dates as indicated on the cover page hereof. If you intend to purchase the Notes, you must be willing to have your Notes redeemed early. We are generally more likely to redeem the Notes during periods when we expect that interest will accrue on the Notes at a rate that is greater than that which we would pay on our traditional interest-bearing deposits or debt securities having a maturity equal to the remaining term of the Notes. In contrast, we are generally less likely to redeem the Notes during periods when we expect interest to accrue on the Notes at a rate that is less than that which we would pay on those instruments. If we redeem the Notes prior to the Maturity Date, accrued interest will be paid on the Notes until such early redemption, but you will not receive any future interest payments from the Notes redeemed, and you may be unable to reinvest your proceeds from the redemption in an investment with a return that is as high as the return on the Notes would have been if they had not been redeemed. In addition, our right to redeem the Notes may also adversely impact your ability to sell your Notes and the price at which they may be sold. |
Risks Relating to the Issuer
| ● | Issuer Credit Risk—The Notes are our unsecured and unsubordinated debt obligations, and are not, either directly or indirectly, an obligation of any third party. Any payment to be made on the Notes, including any repayment of principal, depends on our ability to satisfy our obligations as they come due. As a result, the actual and perceived creditworthiness of Barclays Bank PLC may affect the market value of the Notes and, in the event we were to default on our obligations, you may not receive the payment due at maturity or any other amounts owed to you under the terms of the Notes. |
| ● | You May Lose Some or All of Your Investment If Any U.K. Bail-in Power Is Exercised by the Relevant U.K. Resolution Authority—Notwithstanding and to the exclusion of any other term of the Notes or any other agreements, arrangements or understandings between Barclays Bank PLC and any holder or beneficial owner of the Notes, by acquiring the Notes, each holder and beneficial owner of the Notes acknowledges, accepts, agrees to be bound by, and consents to the exercise of, any U.K. Bail-in Power by the relevant U.K. resolution authority as set forth under “Consent to U.K. Bail-in Power” in this pricing supplement. Accordingly, any U.K. Bail-in Power may be exercised in such a manner as to result in you and other holders and beneficial owners of the Notes losing all or a part of the value of your investment in the Notes or receiving a different security from the Notes, which may be worth significantly less than the Notes and which may have significantly fewer protections than those typically afforded to debt securities. Moreover, the relevant U.K. resolution authority may exercise the U.K. Bail-in Power without providing any advance notice to, or requiring the consent of, the holders or beneficial owners of the Notes. The exercise of any U.K. Bail-in Power by the relevant U.K. resolution authority with respect to the Notes will not be a default or an Event of Default (as each term is defined in the senior debt securities indenture) and the trustee will not be liable for any action that the trustee takes, or abstains from taking, in either case, in accordance with the exercise of the U.K. Bail-in Power by the relevant U.K. resolution authority with respect to the Notes. See “Consent to U.K. Bail-in Power” in this pricing supplement as well as “U.K. Bail-in Power,” “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to the Securities Generally—Regulatory action in the event a bank or investment firm in the Group is failing or likely to fail, including the exercise by the relevant U.K. resolution authority of a variety of statutory resolution powers, could materially adversely affect the value of any securities” and “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to the Securities Generally—Under the terms of the securities, you have agreed to be bound by the exercise of any U.K. Bail-in Power by the relevant U.K. resolution authority” in the accompanying prospectus supplement. |
PS-4
Risks Relating to Conflict of Interest
| ● | We and Our Affiliates May Engage in Various Activities or Make Determinations That Could Materially Affect Your Notes in Various Ways and Create Conflicts of Interest—We and our affiliates play a variety of roles in connection with the issuance of the Notes, as described below. In performing these roles, our and our affiliates’ economic interests are potentially adverse to your interests as an investor in the Notes. |
In connection with our normal business activities and in connection with hedging our obligations under the Notes, we and our affiliates make markets in and trade various financial instruments or products for our accounts and for the account of our clients and otherwise provide investment banking and other financial services with respect to these financial instruments and products. These financial instruments and products may include securities, derivative instruments or assets that may relate to interest rates. In any such market making, trading and hedging activity, and other services, we or our affiliates may take positions or take actions that are inconsistent with, or adverse to, the investment objectives of holders of the Notes. We and our affiliates have no obligation to take the needs of any buyer, seller or holder of the Notes into account in conducting these activities. Such market making, trading and hedging activity, investment banking and other financial services may negatively impact the value of the Notes.
In addition, the role played by Barclays Capital Inc., as the agent for the Notes, could present significant conflicts of interest with the role of Barclays Bank PLC, as issuer of the Notes. For example, Barclays Capital Inc. or its representatives may derive compensation or financial benefit from the distribution of the Notes. Furthermore, we and our affiliates establish the offering price of the Notes for initial sale to the public, and the offering price is not based upon any independent verification or valuation.
In addition to the activities described above, we will also act as the Calculation Agent for the Notes. As Calculation Agent, we will make any determinations necessary to calculate any payments on the Notes. In making these determinations, we may be required to make certain discretionary judgments. In making these discretionary judgments, our economic interests are potentially adverse to your interests as an investor in the Notes, and any of these determinations may adversely affect any payments on the Notes.
Risks Relating to the Value of the Notes and the Secondary Market
| ● | Certain Built-In Costs Are Likely to Adversely Affect the Value of the Notes Prior to Maturity—While the payment at maturity described in this pricing supplement is based on the full principal amount of your Notes, the original issue price of the Notes includes any Agent’s commission and the cost of hedging our obligations under the Notes through one or more of our affiliates. As a result, the price, if any, at which Barclays Capital Inc. and other affiliates of Barclays Bank PLC may be willing to purchase Notes from you in secondary market transactions will likely be lower than the price you paid for your Notes, and any sale prior to the Maturity Date could result in a substantial loss to you. |
| ● | Lack of Liquidity—The Notes will not be listed on any securities exchange. Barclays Capital Inc. and other affiliates of Barclays Bank PLC intend to make a secondary market for the Notes but are not required to do so, and may discontinue any such secondary market making at any time, without notice. Barclays Capital Inc. may at any time hold unsold inventory, which may inhibit the development of a secondary market for the Notes. Even if there is a secondary market, it may not provide enough liquidity to allow you to trade or sell the Notes easily. Because other dealers are not likely to make a secondary market for the Notes, the price at which you may be able to trade your Notes is likely to depend on the price, if any, at which Barclays Capital Inc. and other affiliates of Barclays Bank PLC are willing to buy the Notes. The Notes are not designed to be short-term trading instruments. Accordingly, you should be able and willing to hold your Notes to maturity. |
| ● | Many Economic and Market Factors Will Impact the Value of the Notes—The value of the Notes will be affected by a number of economic and market factors that may either offset or magnify each other, including: |
| o | the time to maturity of the Notes; |
| o | interest and yield rates in the market generally; |
| o | inflation and expectations concerning inflation; |
| o | a variety of economic, financial, political, regulatory or judicial events; |
| o | supply and demand for the Notes; and |
| o | our creditworthiness, including actual or anticipated downgrades in our credit ratings. |
PS-5
TAX CONSIDERATIONS
You should review carefully the sections in the accompanying prospectus supplement entitled “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences—Tax Consequences to U.S. Holders—Notes Treated as Indebtedness for U.S. Federal Income Tax Purposes” and, if you are a non-U.S. holder, “—Tax Consequences to Non-U.S. Holders.” The discussion below applies to you only if you are an initial purchaser of the Notes; if you are a secondary purchaser of the Notes, the tax consequences to you may be different. In the opinion of our special tax counsel, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, the Notes should be treated as debt instruments for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, based on representations provided by us, the Notes should be treated as issued without original issue discount. The remainder of this discussion assumes that this treatment is correct.
Interest paid on the Notes will generally be taxable to you as ordinary income at the time it accrues or is received, in accordance with your method of tax accounting. Upon a sale or exchange (including upon early redemption or redemption at maturity), you will generally recognize taxable gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realized on the sale or exchange (not including any amount attributable to accrued but unpaid interest) and your tax basis in the Notes, which will generally equal the amount you paid to acquire the Notes. This gain or loss will generally be short-term capital gain or loss unless you have held the Notes for more than one year, in which case the gain or loss will generally be long-term capital gain or loss. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitation.
The discussions above and in the accompanying prospectus supplement do not address the consequences to taxpayers subject to special tax accounting rules under Section 451(b).
Non-U.S. holders. We do not believe that non-U.S. holders should be required to provide a Form W-8 in order to avoid 30% U.S. withholding tax with respect to the interest payments, although the Internal Revenue Service could challenge this position. However, non-U.S. holders should in any event expect to be required to provide appropriate Forms W-8 or other documentation in order to establish an exemption from backup withholding, as described under the heading “—Information Reporting and Backup Withholding” in the accompanying prospectus supplement. If any withholding is required, we will not be required to pay any additional amounts with respect to amounts withheld.
You should consult your tax advisor regarding the U.S. federal tax consequences of an investment in the Notes, as well as tax consequences arising under the laws of any state, local or non-U.S. taxing jurisdiction.
PS-6
SUPPLEMENTAL PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
We will agree to sell to Barclays Capital Inc. (the “Agent”), and the Agent will agree to purchase from us, the principal amount of the Notes, and at the price, specified on the cover of the related pricing supplement, the document that will be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) containing the final pricing terms of the Notes. The Agent will commit to take and pay for all of the Notes, if any are taken.
PS-7