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131 million online and mobile payments were made in 2021, up 85% on 2016 levels. New figures from Banking and Payments Federation Ireland confirm that digital payments are continuing to rise rapidly, as consumers further reduce their reliance on cash and cheques. The number of digital payments made last year increased by over 10% compared…

Residential property prices rose by 14.4% on an annual basis in December, new figures from the Central Statistics Office show. This was up slightly on the 14% annual rate recorded in November and marked the highest annual growth in over six years. Today’s figures show that residential property prices in Dublin rose by 13.1%, while…

The figures from AA Ireland show fuel prices have increased by more than a third in the past two years. Petrol prices at the pumps are now close to the psychologically important €2 a litre mark. In the past two weeks alone prices have jumped around 2c a litre, with the relentless cost increases putting…

The value of exported goods from Ireland rose to their highest level ever last year of just over €165 billion, new figures from the Central Statistics Office show today. The CSO figures also show that cross-border trade in goods between Northern Ireland and the Republic has grown dramatically in the first full year since Brexit.…

The head of the country’s largest public service union has called on the Government to open negotiations on a new public service pay agreement by May at the latest. The General Secretary of Fórsa Kevin Callinan said that the size and timing of any pay deal will need to reflect the rising cost of living…

Early-stage entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial teams have been invited to apply for Enterprise Ireland’s €1m Competitive Start Fund (CSF) which is now open for applications. The competition is open to early-stage companies from all sectors with an eligible innovative product or service set for global markets. The fund will award up to €50,000 in equity funding…

A requirement for motor insurers to list a customer’s previous five years’ premiums on their renewal notice, which was introduced in an effort to push premiums lower, may be having an unwanted effect. That’s according to online broker, Insuremycars.ie, which claims the change introduced three years ago is leading customers to think they are getting…

Oil eased today from its highest in more than seven years as Ukraine hinted at possible concessions to Russia that could alleviate tensions between the two countries that Western governments say are on the brink of war. Brent crude rose 5 cents to $94.49 a barrel by 1555 GMT, after touching its highest since October…

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar will today begin a trade mission to France. France is now Ireland’s closest neighbour in the European Union and is an important trading partner. Over €28 billion of goods and services are traded between the two countries every year. The Tánaiste will begin his trip…

Growth in the Irish construction sector accelerated at the start of the year as the impact of the Omicron wave of Covid-19 subsided and demand rose. This is according to the first BNP Paribas Real Estate Ireland Construction Total Activity Index. More work and greater optimism saw construction firms increase purchasing in January – as…