Barclays' Index Unit May Sell For Much More Than $400 Million Asking Price

As the index and risk solution operations bundled as a part of the unit are likely to realize substantial cost synergies in the hands of existing market players, its acquisition value has jumped significantly, with recent reports indicating that IPRS may actually net more than $1 billion for Barclays. This is great news for Barclays, which is now looking at a windfall gain even as it takes another important step towards scaling back its investment banking operations.