Irish Times Inside Business

In this episode Ciarán Hancock speaks to Cliff Taylor of The Irish Times and Eddie Casey, Chief Economist at the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council about the cost of living crisis and the difficult decisions facing the Government when it comes to issues such as the raising the pension age and increasing carbon tax. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today Ciaran talks to Charlie Taylor and Joe Brennan about two big stories: online bank Revolut's decision not to use an Irish license to get into the lending business here, and Irish startup Wayflyer joining the ranks of home-grown firms valued at €1 billion, or "unicorns". See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As the Irish economy begins to shrug off the effects of the pandemic and consumer spending returns to more normal levels, the Central Bank says it expects up to 167,000 new jobs to be created in the next two years. But, it has also warned that higher levels of inflation linked to surging energy prices will persist in the short term. Today, Ciarán talks to chief economist at Goodbody, Dermot O’Leary, and Irish Times economics correspondent, Eoin Burke-Kennedy, about what’s driving Ireland’s economic growth and what could scupper it.www.irishtimes.com/podcasts See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In 2013 Fergal McGrath, alongside his physicist brother Oran, co-founded Dilosk, a non-bank lender that offers mortgages in Ireland under the ICS brand. Today, he talks to Ciarán about Ireland's mortgage market and Dilosk's place in it. They also discuss the likelihood of an interest rate increase this year amid a spike in inflation and the prospects for house prices in 2022. He also gives his view on the income limits in the Central Bank's mortgage rules and why they could be loosened, and predicts what Irish banking might look like in a decade's time. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Since launching in 2016, the Buymie grocery app has seen its business expand across five cities in two countries, with 13 per cent of Dublin households using it on a regular basis. The same day grocery delivery service, which has 70 full-time employees and 350 personal shoppers on its roster, has been recognised by Deloitte as one of Ireland’s fastest growing tech companies. Chief executive and co-founder Devan Hughes talks to Ciarán about how the service works, why the pandemic has been good for business and what the company’s expansion plans look like.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Economist Conall Mac Coille and business journalist Eoin Burke-Kennedy join Ciaran Hancock to discuss the latest housing market assessment from property website MyHome.ie and stockbrokers Davy. Later on, Ciaran speaks to Vincent Jennings, Chief Executive Officer at CSNA (Convenience Stores and Newsagents Association) about the new alcohol price controls which came into effect this week. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As we approach the end of a second year of the pandemic, Ciarán talks to Ibec chief Danny McCoy, Vulcan Consulting founder and CEO Lucinda Creighton and Michelin-starred Galway restaurateur JP McMahon about the outlook for business and the Irish economy in 2022. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This year in business saw a crisis at the stockbroking firm Davy, big exits from the banking sector, Denis O’Brien’s sale of Communicorp and major moves against Ireland’s corporate tax rate at a global level. In today’s episode, Ciarán talks to Joe Brennan, Cliff Taylor, Laura Slattery and Mark Paul about some of the biggest stories they covered in 2021. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A draft of Dublin City Council’s new development plan includes a proposal to limit the number of rental units in any new apartment schemes to 40%. Director of property developer Twinlite, Rick Larkin, says the impact of this will freeze future apartment developments in Dublin and mean renters and first time buyers will have fewer options and higher costs. Dublin City Councillor Dermot Lacey has rejected this notion. In this episode, Ciarán hears them both out. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Glenveagh Properties chief executive Stephen Garvey shares his views on the Government’s housing policy, central bank mortgage rules and why he believes the cost of retrofitting homes will be far higher than has been touted. The developer also talks to Ciarán about his career starting out in his father's construction firm, how the sector has changed since then and what he thinks needs to be done to meet the target of 35,000 units per year, which is cited as the magic number to meet demand. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Prices are rising for businesses and consumers. But what will central banks do in response to the surging rate of inflation?Economics correspondent Eoin Burke-Kennedy explains why concerns about inflation are mounting across the euro zone and elsewhere.Then technology reporter Ciara O’Brien tells us about the departure of Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey and what it means for the future of the social media company. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Predictions of a Covid-induced slowdown that was expected to wreak havoc on the economics of business travel are not, say the aviation industry, being borne out. Emirates country-manager for Ireland, Enda Corneille, talks to Ciarán about how the airline has weathered the pandemic, the company’s carbon credentials and Emirates’ plans for its Dublin-Dubai route.Plus: Cliff Taylor on the SSIA-style top-up from the State that is being proposed as part of a pensions auto-enrolment system currently being designed by the Government. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Irish motor insurers last year enjoyed their highest level of profitability since at least 2009, as the level of road accidents and claims declined during Covid-19 restrictions, according to a Central Bank of Ireland report.On today's podcast Ciarán Hancock talks to markets correspondent Joe Brennan about the health of Ireland's insurance industry. He also talks to Conor Faughnan, who in his former role as director of consumer affairs for AA Ireland became well known to a generation of Irish motorists. They discuss premiums, claims and profits in the industry that some say are excessive. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Simon Carswell talks to Ciarán about Seán FitzPatrick, the former banker who died this week. FitzPatrick oversaw the rise of Anglo Irish Bank, from a small Dublin lender into Ireland’s third largest bank, before the financial crisis and property crash brought down the bank.Plus: Eoin Burke-Kennedy on who the biggest polluters in aviation are and how they avoid the harshest penalties. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Charlie Taylor reports from Web Summit in Lisbon where conference founder and CEO Paddy Cosgrave made some waves in his opening address, referencing the investigation of Tanaiste Leo Varadkar's leak of confidential documents in front of a global audience. But how did it go down with the assembled tech elite? And what else is happening at Web Summit? Plus, Eoin Burke-Kennedy on the latest strong exchequer figures and on US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen's visit to Dublin where she talked about moves to set a minimum global corporate tax rate, but didn't ruffle any feathers over Ireland's controversial role in international tax avoidance. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, the Climate Change Advisory Council unveiled its recommendations for two, five-year carbon budgets aimed at reducing the State’s carbon emissions by 51 per cent by 2030. But are these targets feasible? Despite the Covid lockdown last year, carbon emissions fell by only 3.6% in Ireland, casting doubt on Ireland’s ability to meet the upcoming climate objectives. Joining Ciaran Hancock to discuss the enormity of the task ahead for business, industry and individuals is Cliff Taylor and Kevin O’Sullivan of the Irish Times. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Under the Government's recently published 'Housing For All' plan, the Land Development Agency has a big role to play in delivering badly-needed affordable housing in Ireland. Ciaran talks to the LDA's chief executive John Coleman about the details of how the agency plans to fulfil that ambition. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Cliff Taylor, Mark Paul, Jennifer Bray and Kevin McLoughlin, head of tax at EY Ireland, join Ciaran to discuss the measures announced in Budget 2022. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Last year, Maxol service station celebrated its 100th year in business, making it the oldest family run oil company in Ireland. As they prepare for their next 100 years in operation, the company have undertaken a major revamp of their forecourt network and convenience shops. In today’s episode, Ciaran Hancock takes a trip out to their flagship outlet in Bray to speak with Maxol’s Chief Executive Brian Donaldson and to Director and family shareholder Noel McMullan. They speak about the impact of the pandemic on fuel sales, the future of cars and travel and how their business model can align itself with climate change targets set by the government. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ciarán talks to The Irish Times London editor Denis Staunton about the extraordinary scenes at fuel stations across the UK this week, with supplies running out due, in part, to a shortage of lorry drivers. We also hear from London-based Irish business owner Ross Hynes about how the fuel crisis has impacted his operations. Plus: Joe Brennan on the renewed spotlight on the banking pay cap, as Bank of Ireland CFO Myles O'Grady quits for food a role at wholesaler and retailer Musgraves. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.