C&R Group’s history began in 1986, operating as Barclays Advisory & Registrars Services (BARS) — an in-house department of Barclays Bank of Kenya formed to manage share-registry operations following the bank’s listing on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE). Incorporated as a commercial entity in 1991 to serve external clients, the firm was divested as a going concern in 2006 during a Barclays business review, subsequently rebranding as Custody & Registrars Services Ltd.
C&R has since consolidated its position as East Africa’s leading share registrar, expanding to Uganda, servicing cross-listed equities on the Dar es Salaam Securities Exchange (DSE), and deploying proprietary digital platforms to manage virtual corporate general meetings and secure client databases.