The Bank of England said the amount of capital British lenders must hold relative to their exposure to loans - could rise to up to 4.95 percent from 2019. However, banks are more likely to be set a requirement closer to 4 percent.

Barclays' leverage ratio currently stands at 3.5 percent - the lowest of Britain's biggest banks.

(Reporting by Matt Scuffham; Editing by Steve Slater)