Gender pay gap report 2025
Download the British Business Banks Gender and ethnicity pay gap report - 2025
Our 2025 ethnicity pay gap at a glance
The following charts depict the key data in our ethnicity pay gap reporting.
Proportion of White and Other Ethnic Minority colleagues in each pay quartile
| Headcount | Percentages | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quartile | White | Black, Asian, Mixed or Multiple Ethnic groups and Other Ethnic backgrounds | White | Black, Asian, Mixed or Multiple Ethnic groups and Other Ethnic backgrounds |
| Upper quartile | 105 | 19 | 84.7 | 15.3 |
| Upper middle quatile | 103 | 21 | 83.1 | 16.9 |
| Lower middle quartile | 93 | 32 | 74.4 | 25.6 |
| Lower quartile | 78 | 45 | 63.4 | 36.6 |
Each pay quartile represents a quarter, or 25%, of our total workforce ranked by pay
Ethnicity pay gap (As a % of mean/median white pay)
| White | Black, Asian, Mixed or Multiple Ethnic groups and Other Ethnic backgrounds | Pay gap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median hourly rate | £32.00 | £24.01 | 25.0% |
| Median annual salary | £65,431.00 | £44,625.00 | 25.0% |
The difference in our median pay for different ethnic groups
| White | Black, Asian, Mixed or Multiple Ethnic groups and Other Ethnic backgrounds | Pay gap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean hourly rate | £36.14 | £29.40 | 18.7% |
| Mean annual salary | £73,543.50 | £58,957.11 | 18.7% |
Our mean and median pay gaps by ethnicity
| Ethnicity Group | Number of colleagues who disclosed ethnicity | Median % | Mean % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian or Asian British | 71 | 25.0 | 23.5 |
| Black or Black British | 27 | 35.1 | 22.2 |
| Mixed or Multiple Ethnic groups and Other Ethnic Minority backgrounds | 19 | -0.9 | -4.5 |
| Total Black, Asian, Mixed or Multiple Ethnic groups or Other Ethnic Minority backgrounds | 118 | 25.0 | 18.7 |
Ethnicity bonus gap (As a % of mean/median White bonus)
| Element | 2024 |
|---|---|
| Median % | 35.3 |
| Mean % | 39.7 |
Proportion of White and Black, Asian, Mixed or Multiple Ethnic groups and Other Ethnic Minority background colleagues (Based upon 496 colleagues at our snapshot date of 5 April 2024)
| Element | 2024 |
|---|---|
| Median % | 76.4 |
| Mean % | 23.6 |
Proportion of White colleagues and Black, Asian, Mixed or Multiple Ethnic groups and Other Ethnic Minority background colleagues receiving bonuses
| Ethnicity Group | 2024 |
|---|---|
| White % | 78.9 |
| Black, Asian, Mixed or Multiple Ethnic groups or Other Ethnic Minority backgrounds % | 69.2 |
Reporting ethnicity pay gaps - an overview
The UK workforce reflects the UK’s increasingly diverse society but there is still more to be done to remove barriers to entering the labour market and to ensure pay and progression in the workplace is fair for all ethnic groups.
While ethnicity pay reporting is voluntary, many employers already report on their ethnicity pay data. In April 2024, the government released their first guidance which set out a consistent approach to measuring pay differences.
Guidance for ethnicity pay reporting recommends that those publishing ethnicity data report in the same way that organisations in the UK are required to report on gender pay gaps, using the following six measures:
Median ethnicity pay gap
The difference between the median hourly rate of pay of white full-pay relevant colleagues and that of fullpay relevant colleagues from other ethnic backgrounds.
Median ethnicity bonus gap
The difference between the mean bonus paid to white relevant colleagues and that paid to relevant colleagues from other ethnic minority backgrounds.
Bonus proportions
The proportions of relevant colleagues from white and other ethnic minority backgrounds who were paid bonus during the relevant period.
Mean (average) ethnicity pay gap
The difference between the mean hourly rate of pay of white full-pay relevant colleagues and that of fullpay relevant colleagues from other ethnic backgrounds.
Mean (average) ethnicity bonus gap
The difference between the mean bonus paid to white relevant colleagues and that paid to relevant colleagues from other ethnic minority backgrounds.
Quartile pay bands
The proportions of full-pay relevant colleagues from white and other ethnic minority backgrounds in the lower, lower-middle, upper-middle and upper quartile pay bands.
Additional definitions
Mean
Is the average of a set of numbers and is calculated by adding up all the values and then dividing the sum by the total number of values.
Median
Is a measure of central tendency in a set of data. It represents the middle value when the data set is ordered or ranked.
Hourly pay
Is the total of salary and any cash allowances paid, before any deductions for tax, calculated as an hourly rate. The figure used for the 2025 ethnicity pay gap is the hourly pay for April 2025. Colleagues who did not receive their normal full pay during that month for any reason are excluded from the calculation.
Bonus
For the purpose of calculating the bonus gap is the total bonus and/or long-term incentive paid during the previous 12 months to all colleagues who were employed on the snapshot date of 5 April 2025. For the Bank, this means bonus payments made in June and August 2024 in respect of the financial year ending 31 March 2024, and long-term incentive payments made in August 2024 in respect of the three-year performance cycle that ended in March 2024.
Colleague profile
In the UK we had 574 colleagues on the snapshot date of 5 April 2025. 86.4% (496) of our colleagues openly disclosed their ethnicity to us. Of those, 379 (76.4%) are White (including White British, White Irish and any other White colleagues) and 117 (23.6%) are from Black, Asian, Mixed or Multiple Ethnic groups, or Other Ethnic Minority backgrounds. We are pleased to have such a high disclosure rate as we continue to work towards an inclusive and open culture.
Our ethnicity pay gap
Our analysis shows that the median ethnicity pay gap between White and Black, Asian, Mixed or Multiple Ethnic groups and Other Ethnic Minority backgrounds’ earnings is 25.0% an increase of 8.4% since last year, based on hourly rates of pay at the snapshot date. Our mean ethnicity pay gap is 18.7%. an increase of 2.7% since last year.
The ethnicity pay gap is calculated as the difference between average hourly earnings of White and Black, Asian, Mixed or Multiple Ethnic groups, and Other Ethnic Minority backgrounds as a proportion of White colleague’s average hourly earnings. It is a measure across all jobs in the company, not of the difference in pay between White and Black, Asian, Mixed or Multiple Ethnic groups, and Other Ethnic Minority backgrounds’ for doing the same job.
The factors influencing the Bank’s ethnicity pay gap are similar to those impacting our gender pay gap. The distribution of White and minority ethnic colleagues across the Bank’s pay structure continues to play a central role in driving our ethnicity pay gap. At the snapshot date, White colleagues were disproportionately represented in the upper quartile, making up around 84.7% of the highest paid roles compared with 15.3% of colleagues from Black, Asian, mixed or other ethnic backgrounds. A similar pattern is visible in the upper middle quartile, where 83.1% of roles were held by White colleagues and 16.9% by minority ethnic colleagues.
These upper quartile roles are concentrated in the Bank’s highest paying job families, as well as in Bands E and G, where minority ethnic colleagues remain under-represented. This structural imbalance, rather than differences in pay within comparable roles, continues to be the main factor behind our ethnicity pay gap.
Seeing the ethnicity pay gap rise again this year, is a challenging set of results. However, transparency is a crucial part of our approach, and voluntarily publishing our ethnicity pay gap data allows us to hold the mirror up to ourselves, acknowledge where progress is needed, and remain accountable for driving meaningful change.
Our ethnicity bonus gap
The median ethnicity bonus gap between White and Black, Asian, Mixed or Multiple Ethnic groups, and Other Ethnic Minority backgrounds’ bonus payments is 35.3%. Our mean ethnicity bonus gap is 39.7%.
The 2025 ethnicity bonus gap reflects bonus payments made in June and August 2024, in respect of the financial year ending 31 March 2024. During this period, 69.2% (83) of Black, Asian, Mixed or Multiple Ethnic groups, and Other Ethnic Minority backgrounds’ colleagues, and 78.9% (315) of White colleagues received a bonus. Only colleagues who joined the Bank on or before 31 December 2023 were eligible, and the proportion of colleagues receiving a bonus closely reflected the proportion who were eligible for a bonus or long-term incentive award. The Bank continued to grow rapidly during the bonus year, which is why – for both White and Black, Asian, Mixed or Multiple Ethnic groups and Other Ethnic Minority backgrounds’ – a portion of joiners (74 (14.3%)) were not eligible for a bonus.
As outlined earlier in the ‘What is our Gender Pay Gap?’ section there are several factors that can influence the level of an individual colleague’s bonus or long-term incentive award. Our ethnicity bonus gap is driven by structural factors, particularly the lower representation of Black, Asian, Mixed or Multiple Ethnic groups, and Other Ethnic Minority backgrounds in senior leadership roles at the Bank, where bonuses as a proportion of salary, are higher. Our approach to pay and bonus decisions is grounded in fairness, and we actively review the outcomes of our pay review and performance rating processes to ensure consistency and equity. Through this approach, we strive to mitigate any unintended disparities and uphold a reward structure that reflects our commitment to fairness.