Saudi Arabia's market regulator said it was not aware of any investigation into a licence it granted British bank Barclays three years ago, after a report that U.S. authorities are probing whether improper payments were made. The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) is investigating whether Barclays made any improper payment to win a banking licence in Saudi Arabia to operate a wealth-management arm and investment bank, the Financial Times reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the investigation. Barclays, which has had a torrid five months after being given a record fine by U.S. and UK regulators for rigging Libor interest rates and is under investigation on several other issues, declined to comment. It said on October 31 the Justice Department and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission were probing whether the bank was complying with U.S. laws in its relationships with third parties who help it win or retain business, but declined to say where or what businesses this involved.
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