Business News

The Government has confirmed a significant expansion of its housing investment strategy, announcing a new €400 million equity programme through the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund. The move brings total equity backing for homebuilding under the fund to €800 million since the initiative was launched in mid-2023. ISIF, which is managed by the National Treasury Management…

The Irish SME Association has warned that planned investment in Ireland’s electricity grid should not result in higher energy bills for businesses or households. The organisation argues that while upgrading the national network is necessary, the financial burden should not be transferred directly to end users. The warning follows comments from the energy regulator indicating…

Irish banks are warning consumers and businesses to be on high alert for a rise in so-called smishing scams in the lead-up to Christmas, as fraudsters increasingly exploit busy periods and heightened online activity. New figures show that text message fraud remains the most common source of payment scams reported by customers this year. AIB…

The Central Bank has warned that achieving the Government’s target of delivering 300,000 new homes by the end of 2030 will remain difficult, pointing to ongoing constraints across the construction sector. While the bank has slightly upgraded its outlook for housing output, it remains cautious about the pace at which supply can increase. According to…

Residential property prices continued to rise in the year to October, with annual growth easing marginally to 7.3 percent, according to the latest data from the Central Statistics Office. This compares with a revised growth rate of 7.5 percent in September, suggesting price inflation remains strong despite signs of a gradual slowdown. The figures show…

The European Central Bank is expected to leave interest rates unchanged, reflecting a growing confidence that the euro zone economy is proving more resilient than previously feared. Recent economic data from across the single currency area has outperformed earlier ECB forecasts, easing pressure on policymakers to consider near term rate cuts. Growth across the 20…

The UK economy recorded an unexpected decline in the three months to October, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics. The data shows that gross domestic product fell by 0.1% over the August to October period, defying expectations of flat growth and reinforcing market expectations of an imminent interest rate cut by…

Ireland’s annual rate of consumer price inflation increased to 3.2% in November, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office. This marks an acceleration from the 2.9% rate recorded in October and represents the highest annual inflation level since February 2024. The data shows that price pressures remain widespread across several sectors of…

Ireland’s domestic economy is expected to record modest but steady growth over the next ten years, according to a new projection from the Economic and Social Research Institute. The research suggests annual growth of slightly over 2%, pointing to a period of stability rather than rapid expansion. The study assesses how the Irish economy may…

New data from the Central Bank shows that the average interest rate on new mortgages in Ireland fell to 3.56 percent at the end of October. This represents a slight monthly decrease and the lowest level recorded since March 2023. Although rates have eased, Ireland still ranks among the higher-cost mortgage markets in the euro…