News

The UK will not introduce any new checks or controls on goods moving across the land border into Northern Ireland if the UK leaves the European Union without a deal, it has been announced. Under a temporary and unilateral regime announced by the British government, EU goods arriving from the Republic and remaining in Northern […]

Consumer spending has fallen for the second time in three months, according to Visa’s Irish Consumer Spending Index. Having risen slightly during January, consumer expenditure was down by 0.6pc on a year-on-year basis. This was the sharpest reduction in real spending recorded for two years, as falling consumer confidence continues impact spending habits. The fall […]

An Post is looking to launch its mortgage product in the spring of next year, it said on Wednesday when announcing a loan product that offers up to €75,000. At a briefing in the GPO, the company’s head of retail, Debbie Byrne, said its consumer lending product will go live this month, allowing customers to […]

A third of people in this country are “very worried” about their finances. More than half also have no pension, according to research commissioned by Bank of Ireland. One in four would not last a month without having to borrow if they lost their main source of income. The bank is spending €5m this year […]

The European Union expanded its tax haven blacklist by 10 countries today, adding the United Arab Emirates and Bermuda despite the objections of powerful member states such as Italy. The list now contains 15 countries. It was first drawn up in 2017 in the wake of several scandals, including the Panama Papers and LuxLeaks, that […]

The pound sank in volatile trading today after Britain’s attorney general said the legal risks of a Brexit deal with the European Union had not changed. This cut the chances of the agreement getting through the British parliament. Geoffrey Cox said a revised Brexit deal, secured by Prime Minister Theresa May last night with the […]

Sterling rose today in volatile trade as investors braced for parliamentary votes on Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit’s deal that could decide on what terms – if at all – Britain leaves the EU in less than three weeks. No breakthrough emerged from weekend talks between the British government and the EU. As a result, […]

Mortgage holders here pay more for their loans than other borrowers around Europe, partly because of the high level of loss-making trackers still in the banking system. That’s according to a report from the Department of Finance, which looked at the reasons for the disparity between mortgage rates here and elsewhere. “Trackers, which are still […]

Grocery prices rose 1.5pc in the 12 weeks to February 24, and further increases are likely on foot of Brexit, according to market researchers Kantar Worldpanel. Extra customs paperwork plus any tariffs that emerge will make British goods more expensive for Irish importers, Kantar’s consumer insight director Douglas Faughnan said. It was the fourth period […]

What kind of Online Safety Commissioner will the Government actually appoint? A powerful watchdog? A lame duck? Something in between? Communications Minister Richard Bruton talks about an office with the power to fine Facebook, Twitter or YouTube, or even spark a criminal prosecution. But to be effective a new commissioner has to do a few […]