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Brexit offering opportunities for Irish firms in fintech area

“I talk about fintech being like a parent and a child, with the bank being the parent and fintech the child. Five years ago, everyone was talking about fintech being disruptive, out to get rid of banks. But five years later, the banks are still here,” said Chris Skinner, the world-renowned fintech and financial services […]

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Do you ‘think creatively and do things differently’? This entrepreneurial competition could be for you

Whether you’ve got an entrepreneurial idea to explore or wish your grow your existing budding enterprise, this annual national competition is now open for business. Social Entrepreneurs Ireland are calling for business minds across the country who wish to solve social issues to be in with a chance of getting the funding and support to […]

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Home economics: Sinead Ryan answers your property questions

Q. I’m confused about the new affordable mortgages being proposed. Do I still need a deposit and do I have to buy a local authority home? A. I think you have the wrong end of the stick, but it is confusing. The new loan scheme to provide mortgages to those who cannot get them from banks, […]

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Rents spiral despite Minister’s claims that bargains are available

Rental costs were up again in January despite the rate of inflation falling back, new official figures show. Private rents rose by 6.3pc in the year to January, despite overall prices going up by just 0.2pc, according to the Central Statistics Office. For the month of January, overall prices fell by 0.7pc – but this […]

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Revealed: How much your local pub needs to make to stay open

Last year saw a 6pc increase in turnover in card sales for Ireland’s pub sector, according to AIB’s 2018 Pubs Outlook. Food was a key driver of growth for the period, with food service in pubs reaching a market size of €982m in 2017, up 3pc year-on-year. And increasing numbers of Irish publicans are accepting […]

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Hydrogen to power homes, boats and cars on Aran Islands

The Aran Islands will form part of an EU study to see if hydrogen can be produced using renewable energy to power cars, boats and heat buildings. The €3.5m project led by NUI Galway will also see construction of a hydrogen plant on the Canary Islands, where up to 25kg of hydrogen gas a day […]

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Enterprise offices help create 4,000 startup jobs

ALMOST 4,000 jobs were created last year by startups and small businesses backed by their Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs). This brings the total number of jobs created by LEO-supported companies to 15,000 since the LEOs were established in 2014. Yesterday’s announcement of some 3,700 jobs created in 2017 was welcomed by the Minister for Business, […]

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Is Your Business Fit for 2018?

In discussion with Mark Kellett, CEO Magnet Networks, we ask is your business fit for 2018? What should be front of mind to ensure your company is in the right shape and securely and safely primed for growth and expansion? When it comes to the centre point of all business – communication – the four […]

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Europe warned of gas shortage without more Russian imports

Europe will face a gas shortage and price spike as soon as the next decade if it doesn’t decide quickly to boost imports from Russia as gas purchases from the US or Qatar fail to match demand, Kremlin energy giant Gazprom told Reuters. US President Donald Trump’s administration has said it intends to level the […]

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Dislike: Millions of young people are quitting Facebook

Young people are turning their backs on Facebook, according to a new report. Two million people under the age of 25 will stop using the social network this year, research firm eMarketer predicted. Facebook has a “teen problem”, the company said, adding that it expects fewer and fewer young social media users to continue to […]

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