Digicel paid $90m to O’Brien and companies controlled by him and everbody needs good Neighbours

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They said it was a fad, but some 14 years on since bitcoin was launched cryptocurrencies look like they are here to stay. There’s no doubt that while Irish people in general are slow to invest, they have embraced the opportunity presented by cryptocurrencies. Fiona Reddan has some advice for you.

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Digicel paid $90 million (€83.3 million) in fees and bonuses to Denis O’Brien and companies controlled by the businessman over the past three years, according to documents related to a massive debt restructuring currently under way at the company. Joe Brennan has the details.

They said it was a fad, but some 14 years on since bitcoin was launched cryptocurrencies look like they are here to stay. There’s no doubt that while Irish people in general are slow to invest, they have embraced the opportunity presented by cryptocurrencies. Fiona Reddan has some advice for you.

A reader asked our resident Your Money expert Dominic Coyle this question: “I have an offset mortgage with Ulster Bank and they have still not told me what is happening with it since Ulster Bank left the Irish market. It was not one of the mortgage types that moved to AIB or Permanent TSB.” Dominic has some advice.

The fact that Digicel founder Denis O’Brien is emerging with even a 10 per cent stake from the slow-moving debt train wreck that his telecoms group had become in recent years is a something in itself, says our inhouse sage Cantillon.

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Neighbours return is a small piece of good news for RTÉ, writes Laura Slattery, not least because imported soaps are a relatively cheap source of programming and they are popular, both on linear schedules and on-demand. In 2022, Neighbours was the eighth most-viewed programme on the RTÉ Player despite coming off air in early August.

A proposed ban on betting companies advertising on TV before 9:00pm threatens Irish horse racing and the 30,000 jobs it supports, some of the sport’s key groups warn, reports Barry O’Halloran. The Gambling Regulation Bill, yet to be passed into law, includes provisions banning betting businesses from advertising on TV between 5:30am and 9:00pm to limit children’s exposure to such marketing.

A four-day working week and more flexible employment arrangements are the most sought after non-traditional workplace benefits in the Republic, with employer-sponsored childcare also striking a chord among employees. Ian Curran reports.

Airports are complex organisations whose smooth operation requires the careful management of myriad interactions between consumers, retailers, airline operators, border control and customs and regulators. And then there is fine balance between what is a major piece of infrastructure and its neighbours, writes Cantillon. In the case of Dublin Airport, that relationship seems a little frayed right now. The airport’s operator, DAA, and Fingal County Council are at loggerheads over several issues.

Irish software company Workhuman has launched a new offering which will allow employees using its platform to access a catalogue of travel and activity rewards, writes Ellen O’Regan.

Stocktake finds that rumours of Google’s search engine demise have been greatly exaggerated and increased competition and stale product lines leave Nike’s share price trailing the. He also warns that as the US election nears, expect more self-serving guff from Trump.

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