Barclays customers continue to experience disruptions in payments and transfers following a significant IT outage that initially impacted the bank’s app and online banking services.
Persistent Banking Issues
Many customers have reported being unable to complete essential transactions, including purchasing basic necessities and finalizing home purchases. While Barclays has assured customers that cards and ATMs remain functional, some users claim otherwise.
The outage, which began on Friday—coinciding with payday for many and the UK’s self-assessment tax return deadline—remains unresolved. Barclays has yet to disclose the cause of the issue or the extent of those affected but has apologized and stated that they are “working hard to fix the issue.”
Customer Frustration Mounts
Customers have taken to social media to express their anger over the situation. Reports include declined transactions despite available funds and missing January wages.
One family shared their struggle with BBC News, stating that the outage left them unable to move into their new home. Scott, 27, and his four-month-pregnant wife found themselves stranded at a service station in Horsham, West Sussex, as their property transaction remained incomplete.
Another affected individual, Ruth, a self-employed cleaner, described her inability to access savings to buy milk for her baby and food for five other children. “We need the money to do shopping, and our money is all in savings,” she said.
Similarly, another mother lamented being unable to feed her four-month-old baby due to delayed wage payments, saying, “I’ve been in tears for hours.”
Impact on Tax Payments
Friday marked the deadline for self-assessment tax returns, leaving some Barclays customers unable to make necessary payments to HMRC.
While HMRC acknowledged the issue, a spokesperson reassured customers that late payment penalties would not apply until March 1st. Barclays has confirmed its direct communication with HMRC and pledged to ensure no customer suffers financial loss due to the incident.
A Pattern of Banking Outages
This is not the first instance of a major banking outage impacting customers.
- In June last year, banks including HSBC, Nationwide, Barclays, and Virgin Money experienced payment processing issues.
- A major global IT outage in July, linked to an erroneous update by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, disrupted transactions and payroll systems worldwide.
- PayPal also faced a widespread outage in November, affecting multiple services.
Call for Stronger Digital Resilience
The Chartered Institute for IT (BCS) emphasized the need for robust banking systems. Cybersecurity expert Dan Card highlighted that such incidents underscore how crucial digital resilience and cybersecurity are in modern banking.
Barclays continues to work on resolving the issue but has not provided a timeline for full restoration. Customers remain anxious as they await a resolution to regain full access to their funds.
