Euro zone banks maintained relatively easy access to credit for firms in the second quarter with the backing of government guarantees, but they will likely tighten credit standards in the following three months, the European Central Bank said today. With a pandemic-induced crisis shutting much of the euro zone economy, firms rushed to tap bank…
Category Archives: News
The Government has given the go-ahead for the publication of proposed legislation that will, if enacted, establish the new credit guarantee scheme to help businesses impacted by the Covid-19 crisis. The scheme, first announced two-and-a-half months ago, will see up to €2bn in low cost loans made available to struggling firms, with 80% of the…
93% of Irish employees surveyed by recruiter Robert Walters said they would like more opportunities to work from home when normal working patterns resume. Around one in ten said they would like to work from home permanently. The recruitment company gauged the opinions of management and staff in over 2,200 companies worldwide for this survey. …
Over 80% of Irish employees want to continue to spend at least part of their week working from home when normal life resumes after the coronavirus pandemic, a survey shows. Like much of Europe, most workers here were forced to work from home when the economy went into lockdown in March. The Government’s advice remains…
The Irish League of Credit Unions is calling on the Government to make changes that would allow the sector to finance social housing and a National Retrofitting Plan for up to half a million older homes. It is among a number of proposals being put forward by the league, which represents 226 member credit unions across the…
The group representing Irish accountancy bodies has called on the Government to spread the taxation burden for recipients of the pandemic wage subsidy schemes over a four year period. Workers are liable for tax on the income they have received via the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS). But the liability will not arise until the end…
COVID-19 has influenced the way consumers make payments for goods and services. This is according to figures released by the Bank sector. An uptake of contactless payments The latest report by the Bank and Payments Federation shows that there was an increase in the use of credit or debit cards to make payments amid the…
There was a near 11% reduction in the volume of goods passing through Dublin Port in the first six months of this year, according to figures from the Dublin Port Company. Overall port tonnage was 10.9% lower than in the same six month period last year. A first quarter decline of almost 5% – which…
Over 65% of global firms expect Covid-19 to have a negative impact on revenues in 2020, according to the Grant Thornton International Business Report, which provides insight into the views and expectations of more than 10,000 businesses across 29 economies. It reveals that 40% of businesses anticipate a decline of less than 20% in revenues,…
Hoteliers here are reporting occupancy rates of between 23 and 26% for the summer months, according to figures from the Irish Hotels’ Federation. This is based on confirmed bookings and compares to an average 90% occupancy over the summer months last year. The IHF said that occupancy for September, traditionally a popular time for US…
