Author: Practicenet

Avoiding a hard border in Ireland is a ‘pivotal issue’ for Germany says Foreign Minister Heiko Maas. “Any insecurity or deterioration in relation to Northern Ireland must not happen as a consequence of Brexit and in this regard we need to stand united and need the united voice of the 27 partners of the EU”, […]

Large organisations have clearly-defined corporate structures that remove ambiguity in roles and responsibilities. Regardless of the sector that they’re in, commercial organisations have a common denominator; they need to sell their products or services to achieve sales targets. Consequently, every one of them has a defined sales function. The same can’t always be said for […]

Central banks holding sterling as part of their foreign exchange (forex) reserves could sell more than £100bn (€109bn) of the currency should Britain crash out of the European Union without a trade deal, a Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAML) study showed yesterday. The prospect of a no-deal Brexit is becoming increasingly feasible in the […]

Three of the world’s largest bitcoin mining equipment makers plan to raise billions of dollars with initial public offerings in Hong Kong, even as other companies report plunging demand for the chips needed to make bitcoin and a halving in the price of the cryptocurrency. Soaring cryptocurrency prices last year triggered a boom in demand […]

Sterling will fall to 95 pence to the euro and approach parity in the early part of next year if a hard Brexit is still on the cards, according to analysts at Investec Ireland. Currency volatility, and unfavourable rates, are a big risk to Irish exporters into the UK, particularly in lower margin sectors including […]

The retirement model for Ireland is changing after various false starts – a change that is long overdue. A sustainable retirement system with feasible dependency ratios requires that workers save more and retire later. We won’t get a perfect system overnight, so having one that’s “good enough”, at least to start, is an important priority. […]

Are electric scooters good or bad for Irish cities? Because they’re certainly getting more common. My walk to work each day takes me through the inner city areas of Ballybough and the North Strand. Both have had their share of trouble in recent years and are regarded as ‘tough’ neighbourhoods. But now I see young […]

September in the European corporate debt market is often a time of much rejoicing. The dearth of activity in August is replaced by a flood of issuance, tightening spreads, and a general feeling that bonds are back. Not this time. This August has been particularly miserable, and almost all of the factors that made it […]

Each year, at about this time, there is a lot of speculation about the 9pc tourism VAT rate and whether it will be retained in October’s Budget to be delivered by Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe. Each year, at about this time, there is a lot of speculation about the 9pc tourism VAT rate and whether […]

Consumers are turning more to debit cards and contactless payments, according to the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI). In the past three years, the number of debit-card transactions has increased rapidly in Ireland, the CBI said in its latest quarterly bulletin. There is also some tentative evidence to suggest that the increase in their use […]