The wealth manager said the hires, all but one of which is from outside Barclays, demonstrated the continuing growth in Asian high net worth markets.
The appointments, nine in Singapore and three in Hong Kong, are across a range of roles, including equity research, credit structuring, relationship management and the trust sector, among others.
The new staff come from a variety of organisations, including JPMorgan Private Bank, Bank of Singapore, Credit Suisse Private Bank, RBS Coutts, HSBC Private Bank and Goldman Sachs, among others.
Didier von Daeniken, chief executive of Barclays Wealth Asia Pacific, said: “Barclays Wealth in Asia is a melting pot of experienced and talented professionals as we continue to hire senior bankers, capturing growth in our key target markets in Asia.
“Concurrently, we continue to add depth to our advisory and investment solutions capabilities, reinforcing our commitment to providing best in class advice to our ultra high and high net worth clients.”
In November, Barclays Wealth established a booking centre in Hong Kong, in addition to an existing operation in Singapore. And in June last year, the wealth manager received a licence from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to conduct trust business.
In July 2010 it also entered into a private banking joint venture in Japan with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and Nikko Cordial Securities to provide wealth management services to high net worth individuals.