Barclays Wealth has just revamped its investments with full capital protection, it now comes equipped with a ‘kick-out’ feature.

The group have released the FTSE generator at the beginning of this month as a replacement for older products that could not cope with the high demand.

They have launched this full capital protection fund with the prospect of early maturity, also known as ‘kicking-out’.

The fund is based on the FTSE 100, and the investor will receive six per cent gross for each year throughout the six-year fixed term, as long as the FTSE has at least remained at the same level that it started at.

The ‘kick-out’ is in effect after three years, if the fund matures and the FTSE has risen then the investor will receive 18 per cent gross.

This fund requires a minimum deposit of £10,000 and the investment will be in the account for three years before it is decided whether it has matured, if not then the account is review every six months.

This means the investor could receive a rolled up return after three years depending on the index performance.
At the end of the six-year term there is the possibility of receiving 36 per cent gross interest.

Barclays Wealth manager Lisa Chaudhuri, says: "Most kick-out products offer conditional capital protection but we have seen growing demand for a product which offers the prospect of an early maturity without risk to capital.

“FTSE Generator provides both key features with the condition that a kick-out can only occur after three years, although we believe the addition of six-monthly observation points - increasing the likelihood of an early maturity - should prove attractive to cautious investors."

Among other providers, no one offers such a scheme, although there are many similar products in the market.

Co-operative Investment launched their scheme early this year in collaboration with Credit Suisse, the plan is a capital protected guaranteed fund with a fixed six year term, the interest is determined on whether the FTSE 100 stays at its current level or rises to receive the rate of 40 per cent gross.

The minimum deposit for this account is £3,600, however unlike like Barclays Wealth there is no option of the ‘kick-out’.

Britannia building society also offers a similar service, with its six-year term and guaranteed capital protection bond.

The fund is based on the FTSE 100 and as long as the level does not drop below 75 per cent of the start value, the customer will be able to receive the five per cent annual gross rate. The minimum deposit for this investment is £500, but unlike Barclays Wealth there is no possibility for the money to mature early.

It seems very evident that Barclays have released a real eye opener on the financial market, although there are many similar products on the market currently, it is clear that they are taking the risk out of stocks and shares.