Austrian bank Bawag has ended talks to buy nonbank lender Finance Ireland without a deal, according to sources, as it continues to pursue PTSB. Joe Brennan says it is not clear what led to the breakdown in talks.
Shares in Asia fell broadly on Thursday as oil prices roared 9 per cent past $100 a barrel on reports of more ships struck in Gulf waters and terminal shutdowns - a jump that could rapidly stoke inflation and push global borrowing costs higher.
New housing starts fell by more than three-quarters last year, according to a new report from the Irish banks. BPFI chief economist Ali Uğur said the “steep decline” during 2025 presents “risks to future supply” beyond this year in the absence of a “significant rebound” this year. Eoin Burke-Kennedy reports.
Emmet Malone is attending the annual Industrial Relations News conference in Dublin today. In advance of that, CIPD Ireland released research showing employers are getting more cautious over pay rises and struggling to recruit amid the ongoing housing crisis.
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Proponents of AI assured us that systems for flagging AI content are as smart as AI itself. Except that isn’t always true, writes Ciara O’Brien as AI moves to the front line for the first time, with even state accounts sharing AI-manipulated footage.
US drug giant Amgen is looking to build a six-storey car park on its Dún Laoghaire site as it plans to add around 1,000 people to it 1,800-strong workforce over the next decade. Gordon Deegan reports that some local residents are not impressed.
Gordon also reports on new figures from the Revenue Commissioners showing that 72 people with incomes above €125,000 would have paid no income tax at all last year were it not for measures designed to curb the use of tax reliefs by high earners. In an Analysis of High-Income Individuals’ Restriction 2023, Revenue finds that the long‑standing policy objective – ensuring an effective income tax rate of about 30 per cent for those with adjusted incomes above €400,000 – was achieved last year.
San Leon, the Dublin-headquartered gas and oil exploration firm, has been awarded damages in the region of €16 million by the High Court, after a Canadian asset management firm it sued over reneging on an investment agreement failed to defend the lawsuit.
In the Workplace Relations Commission, a chief executive fired for halting payments to a director while subcontractors were not being paid for their work has been awarded over €180,000. Stephen Bourke has the details.
WhatsApp says it is to introduce parent-managed accounts for its messaging platform, bringing new controls for users under 13 years of age. Ciara O’Brien writes that the new accounts will allow parents or guardians to set up WhatsApp for preteens with strict default settings and the ability to limit accounts to messaging and calling.
The spectre of stagflation, with higher energy costs boosting inflation even as economic activity slows, is a worst nightmare scenario for most central bankers and, European Central Bank governing council member Peter Kazimir has warned that it could mean higher interest rates sooner than the market expects.
While much has changed at Eir since its privatisation in 1999 one thing remains unchanged: the ability of its owners to take cash out of the business, writes Cantillon as the company pays another €195 million dividend to its shareholders.
Just six days away from St Patrick’s Day, the man in charge joins host Ciarán Hancock in our podcast studio to discuss the year-long preparations that went into the 2026 festival, which begins on Saturday, what it means for the economy and the part it plays in kicking off Ireland’s tourism season.
Also, on Inside Business, Fiona Reddan explains the thinking behind The Irish Times’s new series How to Invest, which walks readers through the practicalities of investment.
In her tech feature, Ciara O’Brien runs through what was on show last week at Mobile World Congress and what we can look forward to seeing on store shelves in the coming months. AI, unsurprisingly, will be front and centre.
Finally, musician Eoghan Matthews has teamed up with Hugh Prendergast and Sam Owens to simplify how live music is booked and managed across Ireland’s hospitality sector with their digital booking platform CeolConnect.
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