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The European Central Bank has left its key interest rates unchanged after today’s Governing Council meeting. However, the ECB has said it expects to buy bonds under its Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (PEPP) “…at a significantly higher pace than during the first months of this year.” The size of the PEPP at €1.85 trillion remains…

A third of the world’s biggest banks still have no board members with professional technology experience, skills needed to help lenders make better decisions as they increase investments on IT, a new study by consultancy Accenture showed today.  Accenture analysed almost 2,000 directors at more than 100 large banks. It found that only 10% of…

Ireland continues to have the highest mortgage interest rates across the euro area in January, new figures from the Central Bank show.  The Central Bank said the average interest rate on new mortgages in Ireland stood at 2.79% in January, down 13 basis points on the same time last year. This compares to the euro…

The Financial Services Union is calling on the Government to convene a forum for what it calls an’ open and transparent’ public debate on the future of banking and financial services on the island. The FSU represents around 15,000 workers in the financial services sector in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and the UK. It…

71% of consumers say they will not feel comfortable shopping on their local high street until the Covid crisis is better controlled, according to a new survey. The research published by .IE, the company that manages Ireland’s country domain .ie, in partnership with Digital Business Ireland, shows that 23% will not feel comfortable until Covid-19 cases are…

The latest Dublin Economic Monitor shows that although the Dublin economy remains severely impacted by Covid-19 restrictions, it is prepared for recovery once conditions permit. The monitor is published by the four Dublin Local Authorities – Fingal County Council, Dublin City Council, South Dublin County Council and Dún LaoghaireRathdown County Council.  The latest Dublin IHS…

Members of the US Congress are to receive a briefing today on the latest Brexit developments from Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney and European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič. The ‘Friends of Ireland’ caucus, a bipartisan group on Capitol Hill, will receive the briefing amid concerns in Washington over last week’s decision by the UK government…

The Economic and Social Research Institute has revised downwards its forecast for growth in the economy this year.  In an opening statement to the Oireachtas Committee on Budgetary Oversight, Karina Doorley and Kieran McQuinn say their assumptions about restrictions this year made in their last published Commentary in December, had not factored in a level…

The Cabinet will this morning consider a proposal from Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien to extend protections for tenants whose incomes have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Residential Tenancies and Valuation Bill is due to lapse on 12 April, but it is set to be renewed for three months. The legislation protects tenants from eviction…

47% of prospective homebuyers think prices will rise by up to 10% in the coming year, according to a new survey from property website MyHome.ie. A similar survey carried out last November, showed that just 26% of respondents said the same, while only 15% agreed with that sentiment last August. The most recent survey of…