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IFSRA should avoid over-regulating
The new single regulator should resist the tendency to over-regulate and introduce an excessively prescriptive and rules-based regulatory regime a report produced by the Irish Banking Federation (IBF) and the Irish Mortgage and Savings Association (IMSA) has recommended. |
Fund managers say quality research matters most
In a year which has seen the reputation of many top investment banking houses and their analysts tarnished over the quality and independence of their research capabilities, Irish and international fund managers responding to the 16th annual Finance Stockbroking Survey have voted that a top-class research facility is the most important service provided to them by Irish stockbroking firms. |
Economists call for controlled public spending, no tax increases
Ireland’s leading financial sector economists have called on Minister for Finance, Charlie McCreevy, to maintain the present tax position and bring public expenditure under control in the next Budget in the annual Finance pre-budget economist survey. |
Editorial
Budget recommendations |
Industry group call for ‘Yes’ vote to protect Ireland’s competitiveness
A group of leading international financial services players have come together to campaign in favour of a ‘Yes’ vote in the forthcoming Nice referendum. Led by William Slattery, chairman of the Financial Services Industry Association, the group, ‘IFSC for YES’, was launched on Thursday, September 12th in the IFSC by the Tanaiste, Mary Harney. Below is an extract from the speech made by Slattery at the launch. |
Stockbroking firm gets ISO 9001
Merrion Stockbrokers has become the first Irish stockbroking firm to be awarded the SO 9001:2000 standard applicable to stockbroking services. |
Top M&A advisers in 2002 to date
IBI Corporate Finance is the top takeover adviser in Ireland this year, leapfrogging bigger international rivals Merrill Lynch and UBS Warburg, according to recently released Bloomberg data. |
AIB report a first
A CDO Manager Focus report published by Standard & Poor’s for AIB Capital Markets is the first of its kind in Europe. |
Curtail growth in public spending and don’t increase taxes
Ireland's leading financial sector economists are calling on Minister for Finance, Charlie McCreevy to bring current public spending levels under control in order to avoid a budget deficit and stay within the terms of the budgetary provisions of the EU Growth and Stability Pact in the annual Finance pre-budget survey. |
Memo to Mr. McCreevy on economic and budgetary policy
Do no harm |
Memo to Mr. McCreevy on economic and budgetary policy
Do no harm (contd...) |
New legislation creates increased demand for pension administrators
Emer Cassidy examines recruitment trends in the financial services sector - who’s hiring, what they’re looking for, the skills in demand, what candidates can earn and expectations for the coming year. |
Education is key to the next stage of development of the IFSC
A proposal developed by the IDA and the National College of Ireland to establish a ‘Centre of Excellence’ in the heart of Dublin’s IFSC, is aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of the financial sector in Ireland says Brendan Logue, and maintaining its growth by consolidating Dublin’s competence as a financial centre in areas like hedge funds, alternative risk management, securitisation and intellectual property management. |
Retaining staff by letting them leave
The key to keeping staff happy and motivated is by giving them the freedom to pursue other interests says Mike Lewis, as when they are welcomed back, staff will be older and wiser and more focused on their job. |
Working in corporate treasury
Niall O’Shea examines employment opportunities in Ireland’s corporate treasury sector and looks at how recent world events have impacted on domestic operations. |
‘Inflation proof’ theory to be put to the test
Despite the economic downturn, demand for accountancy skills is expected to remain strong, writes Feargal Mac Lochlainn. |
Finding the ‘right fit’
At Deutsche International, priority is given to finding candidates with the ‘right fit’, which means that they are matched to the job in terms of their abilities, interests and personalities says Ciara Heslin. |
Rewards continue to increase in insurance
Traditionally by-passed by college graduates and young professionals for more exciting careers in computers and finance, Francis Levy says that the insurance industry has learned from this experience and now offers very attractive remuneration packages. |
Fund administration sector remains strong
For the first time in the history of the IFSC we are now witnessing a reduction in recruitment activity says Paul Cotter, but one sector that continues to buck the trend is fund administration, where demand for staff continues to outstrip supply. |
Budget and jobs
What do we want? We want jobs! We want continued economic growth! Even in a global economic slowdown, there is much mobile international investment. The budget should redouble efforts to attract it to Ireland. |
Tax payment dates change again
The Minister for Finance has accelerated the due date for corporation tax payments which arise in November and in December 2002. The changes appear to arise from a concern with appearances rather than with any underlying economic substance. They also serve to highlight the mess unnecessarily created by the Minister in relation to tax payment dates in the last Finance Act. |
UK attack on 12.5p.c. CT rate
The UK has proposed to extend the application of its controlled company legislation to UK controlled subsidiaries operating in Ireland. This move is a threat to economic development in Ireland. It could encourage our fellow Europeans to follow suit. |
An introduction to securitisation in Ireland - part II
Last month Mark Thorne and Conor Houlihan introduced securitisation in Ireland by defining what securitisation is, examining Ireland's role in the establishment of special purpose vehicles (SPVs) and the special advantages Ireland offers in incorporating SPVs. In this, the second of a two-part series, Thorne and Houlihan examine other features of the use of SPVs including listings and ratings. |
Directing the industry
As director of the Financial Services Industry Association, a typical day for Aileen O’Donoghue involves preparing for the association’s participation in the US/Ireland Business Summit and investigating industry issues such as the British Inland Revenue’s CFC legislation. |
Who’s who in Finance: Fergus McLoughlin, Director, NCB Corporate Finance
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Not such a Monumental task (second time around)
John Bowe says that the second time Anglo Irish Bank brought a CMBS to market, it proved to be a lot less painful than the first and very successful. So much so that Anglo is now planning its first Irish CMBS transaction, which it expects to launch in the first half of 2003. |
