Raising the bar for global finance, Barclays owns one of Europe's largest banks, a top market-making investment bank, the top UK credit card, and an international wealth management firm. Its flagship Barclays Bank has some 1,500 branches in the UK as well as operations throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas. In addition to holding one of the world's largest investment banks, the company's Barclaycard arm has more than 20 million credit cards and provides consumer lending and payment processing services, primarily in Europe. Altogether, Barclays serves more than 48 million customers in more than 50 countries.