Category Archives: News

A bird's eye view of the latest trends in consumer outlook

A bird’s eye view of the latest trends in consumer outlook

During the pandemic, consumers expected their finances to get worse as the Irish government tightened lockdown restrictions. Fast-forward to post-Covid regulations, their sentiments about the economy have been reported to be positive.   KBC’s latest report on consumer outlook KBC Bank’s latest report on consumer sentiments indicates that as consumers’ fears about the disease are subsiding,…

ECB survey points to shallower recession, stronger rebound

The euro zone economy may contract less this year than the European Central Bank had forecast and its recovery could also be quicker, the bank’s Survey of Professional Forecasters showed today.  The quarterly survey sees the economy shrinking by 8.3% this year. This marked a downgrade from its May projection for a 5.5% drop but a…

Liquidity and cashflow key concerns for 1 in 3 businesses – survey

Almost half of those working in the accountancy profession have called for greater leniency on filing deadlines, interest and penalties as companies try to cope with the effects of Covid-19, a new survey shows. The survey, conducted by Chartered Accountants Ireland among almost 2,000 members on the island of Ireland, also shows that liquidity and…

Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme has cost over €2bn to date

The government’s Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme has now cost in excess of €2 billion, according to the latest statistics issued by the Revenue Commissioners. Around 415,000 employees are currently being directly supported by the scheme, having received a TWSS subsidy in their last payroll cycle. However, since the scheme was launched on 26 March, over 618,000…

EU court rules EU-US data protection agreement invalid

The European Court of Justice has rejected a key EU tool used to transfer Europeans’ personal data across the Atlantic for commercial use. However, it upheld the validity of another tool used by hundreds of thousands of companies to transfer data worldwide. The court ruled that Privacy Shield, the EU-US data protection agreement, is invalid,…

Enterprise Ireland warns of challenging year ahead due to Covid-19, Brexit

Enterprise Ireland has cautioned that 2020 will be very challenging for many Irish exporters due to the outbreak of Covid-19 and Brexit. The government agency responsible for the development and growth of Irish companies in global markets said that Irish companies trading internationally have been impacted in every market due to the global nature of…

Ireland fined by EU top court over anti-money laundering rules

The European Union’s top court has fined Ireland for delays and incomplete application of the EU’s rules against money laundering and terrorist financing, it said in a statement. The EU Court of Justice ordered Ireland to pay to the European Commission a lumpsum of €2 million, while Romania was fined €3m. “Both member states failed…

Chambers Ireland calls for wage subsidy scheme extension

Chambers Ireland has called on the Government to extend the wage subsidy scheme for some sectors and introduce a 12 month waiver on commercial rates in the July Stimulus, which is due to be published next week.  The organisation represents 40 Chambers and more than 8,000 businesses around the country. It said the package of supports…

Profits at private sector firms under pressure – AIB

Profits at Irish private sector firms are expected to come under pressure in the next 12 months, according to the latest AIB business activity report. The profit outlook among the firms surveyed by AIB is at its lowest since October 2010. It comes despite falling costs, particularly workforce related costs, as companies availed of the…

Irish SMEs ‘cautiously optimistic’ about the future – Facebook survey

A survey reveals that despite enforced business closures, challenging restrictions and loss of revenue, 51% of Irish SMEs are feeling optimistic about the future of their business. The Future of Business Survey, run by Facebook in collaboration with the World Bank and the OECD, surveyed 30,000 SMEs on the social media giant across 50 countries…