Inside Business with Ciaran Hancock

This week's podcast is focussed on stock market and banking news. Host Ciaran Hancock is joined by Aidan Donnelly, Head of Equities at Davy and Joe Brennan, Markets Correspondent with The Irish Times. It is reporting season, so news is emerging about the performance and intentions of Irish plcs. And some are indicating plans to shift their main stock market listing to the United States. Why is this happening and what does it mean for Irish operations? Irish banks are posting healthy figures, and Bank of Ireland has a plan to bypass the ban on bonuses. Will others follow suit? What can we expect from the next European Central Bank meeting - will interest rates rise again? Inside Business is produced in association with EY Ireland. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The deal is done between the UK and the EU to solve problems with the Northern Ireland protocol, and should it become operational, that deal means Northern Ireland will remain within the EU single market, with the added benefit of access to the UK market. So what will that mean for its economy - and what will it mean for the economy in the Republic? Ciaran Hancock and Cliff Taylor are joined by Mark O'Connell, founder of Belfast-based consultancy OCO Global and Stephen Kelly, CEO of Manufacturing Northern Ireland to talk about the deal. Plus: Businessman Denis O’Brien is on track to cede control of Digicel under a plan agreed with a group of bond creditors to swap $1.8 billion (€1.7 billion) of the heavily-indebted group’s borrowings for an equity stake in the business. Joe Brennan has the details. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The government's latest package of cost of living measures includes extra cash payments to social welfare recipients and parents - but no further contributions to our energy bill payments. Does the package go far enough? And by extending - again - a more favourable VAT rate for the hospitality sector, the Government is foregoing tax revenues of €300 million. Why does the return of the rate keep getting pushed back? Ciarán talks to political reporter Jack Horgan-Jones and columnist Cliff Taylor. Plus: We're by now sadly familiar with finance scams using texts, emails and bogus websites to defraud people. The latest method takes advantage of the growing use of digital banking services like Revolut. Consumer affairs correspondent Conor Pope explains what to watch out for. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chupi Sweetman is the Irish jewellery designer on a mission to disrupt the diamond industry. The founder and CEO of her eponymous brand has just secured €3.75m in investment to fuel her global ambitions. She speaks about industry trends, removing Russian diamonds from her supply chain and how blockchain will help secure the provenance of her heirloom jewellery. Also in this episode, Barry O'Halloran reports on the yawning gap between what multinationals are paying for energy compared to domestic Irish businesses. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Barry Connolly, the man who brought Red Bull and Kopparberg cider to Ireland has just been named the Irish Times Business Person of the Year. After graduating from UCD with a degree in business, the Dubliner went on to work in advertising and sales at the Sunday Tribune, before moving into the world of entrepreneurship, where he worked alongside a number of successful brands. In 2016, he launched Fulfil, a range of protein bars which took the Irish market by storm. Last April, he sold the business for a reported €160 million to family-owned confectionery giant Ferrero. In this conversation with Ciaran Hancock, he looks back over his career trajectory, explains why Fulfil has become a hit with consumers and shares his top tips for budding entrepreneurs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brendan Burgess joins the podcast to explain his critique of Central Bank policy on mortgage interest rates. It comes after Central Bank governor Gabriel Makhlouf told an Oireachtas committee that Irish banks should increase interest rates to reflect increases applied by the European Central Bank. Plus: Cliff Taylor and Eoin Burke-Kennedy look at the latest economic trends. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An increase in office stock, the switch to hybrid working, as well as job losses in the tech sector have contributed to a slowdown in the Dublin commercial real estate market, according to industry expert, John Moran. The CEO of JLL joins Ciaran Hancock to discuss the 13% office vacancy rate driven partly by the increase in 'grey space.' The term is used to describe what is available for sub-leasing or assignment, more of which is being seen in the capital as Big Tech companies pull back to 2019 levels of employment. Meanwhile, Director of Technology Ireland, Una Fitzpatrick gives the industry view on the recent job losses. The Ibec branch wants to counter the narrative that the sector is in free-fall, noting these are the first redundancies of this level since 2010.With any subscription you'll get unlimited access to the very best in unique quality journalism from The Irish Times. Subscribe today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Climate change is one of the themes of this year’s World Economic Forum in Switzerland. Markets Correspondent, Joe Brennan, reports from Davos where a recent winter heatwave means the highest town in Europe has significantly less snowfall than usual. The Taoiseach, Finance Minister and a delegation from the IDA are there as part of Ireland’s attempt to court FDI. All three parties are awaiting news from Microsoft on how many Irish jobs will be among the plans announced today to cut its workforce by 10,000, globally. Berlin Correspondent, Derek Scally, reports on how Europe’s most senior data regulatory body has ruled the Data Protection Commission in Dublin has failed to investigate, with due diligence, data collection and processing at Facebook and Instagram. Critics say that may have deprived the exchequer of a multibillion euro windfall. With any subscription you'll get unlimited access to the very best in unique quality journalism from The Irish Times. Subscribe today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we got a look at two reports into economic activity in Ireland, one from Enterprise Ireland and the other from Bord Bia. Eoin Burke Kennedy explains what we learned about the performance of homegrown businesses and within the growing food sector.But first, Joe Brennan explains what the arrival of a new insurer, the South African company OUTsurance, into the Irish car insurance market means for the industry and for motorists. Will their presence drive down premiums? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What will 2023 have in store for the economy, the media landscape and the tech sector? Ciarán Hancock is joined by Irish Times business journalists Eoin Burke-Kennedy, Ciara O’Brien and Laura Slattery. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.