Barclays Bank is the flagship subsidiary of financial services group Barclays PLC. The bank is primarily active in the UK, where it has some 1,700 branches, but also has significant retail and commercial operations in 50 countries throughout Europe and in several African nations, as well as the Middle East. It offers standard retail services such as current accounts, savings and investments, mortgages and other loans, insurance (it owns 59% of bancassurance provider Absa Group), credit cards (the Barclaycard), and online banking. Barclays Bank traces its roots to the late 17th century.