The bank wants project managers, applications development managers, and software and IT specialists for its Business Technology Centre at Changi Business Park Central launched last year.

Barclays has already hired 250 staff - mainly locals - and wants to increase this headcount to 650 by the end of this year.

'We need hundreds of people. So, in the next few weeks and months, we'll continue to keep hiring as fast as we can,' said Mr Frits Seegers, the chief executive of Barclays' global retail and commercial banking, on Wednesday.

The centre will allow Barclays to run its international cards and banking platforms out of Singapore.