The FINANCIAL -- Barclays Corporate has appointed Martin Baker, Director, Cash Management, to a new role focused on supporting clients within the utilities and telecoms sectors.Baker has held various roles at Barclays, spending the last 20 years in cash management, most recently working with multi-national corporates across a number of sectors.

The FINANCIAL -- Barclays Retail and Business Banking is creating 1,000 new apprenticeships and offering young people the opportunity to build careers in the financial services industry through a major programme launching in April. According to Barclays Bank, the new drive will provide crucial opportunities for young people who are currently struggling to find work.

The FINANCIAL -- MasterCard Advisors’ SpendingPulse, a macro-economic report tracking national retail and service sales, today revealed some respite for the UK high street, as sales showed an increase of 2.3% in January 2012 compared to the same period last year.

The FINANCIAL -- America’s small business owners are the most optimistic since July 2008, according to the latest findings from the Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index survey for the period Jan. 9-13, 2012.

The FINANCIAL -- MasterCard Incorporated announced that its Board of Directors has increased the company’s quarterly cash dividend to 30 cents per share, an increase of 100 percent over the previous dividend level of 15 cents per share. The cash dividend will be paid on May 9, 2012, to holders of record of its Class A common stock and Class B common stock as of April 9, 2012.