Irish Life has paid €1.73bn in dividends to overseas parent since it was bought from the State a decade ago

The best news, analysis and comment from The Irish Times business desk

Alan and Lisa Ruttle with their children at Barnagh on the Limerick Greenway, a 40km scenic off-road walking and cycling route that is free to use for those looking for summer activities on a budget. Photograph: Seán Curtin, True Media.

Business Today

Business Today

Get the latest business news and commentary from our expert business team in your inbox every weekday morning

Irish Life Group has paid €468 million in dividends to its overseas parent in the past 18 months, bringing total payments since it was bought from the State during the financial crisis to €1.73 billion. This easily surpasses what it paid the State in 2013 to buy the life and pensions business. Joe Brennan has totted up the numbers.

Are you looking for family activities for the summer? Here are some budget-friendly options in our Your Money feature from Joanne Hunt. If you’d like to read more about the issues that affect your finances try signing up to On the Money, the weekly newsletter from our personal finance team, which will be issued every Friday to Irish Times subscribers.

What does the future hold for Fair City and The Late Late Show, with plans to possibly outsource the shows from Montrose. Laura Slattery goes behind the scenes at RTÉ in her weekly media column.

In our Your Money Q&A, a reader details how they signed up for AIB’s online banking service and have found it a frustrating experience. Dominic Coyle explains why the domestic banks need to invest more in their digital services to make them more user-friendly.

READ MORE

In Me & My Money, Stephen Gibson, cofounder and chef at Pichet Restaurant, recalls how he lost an entire week’s wages in 2007, while working in Paris. “That feeling of knowing you’ve just worked for free all week really hurt,” he tells Tony Clayton-Lea.

Property investor Ires has seen its shares drift in recent months, as investors bet that a strategic review of the business will deliver little by way of change, writes Cantillon.

After taking €7.3 million off the table last week by selling shares in pharma group Hvivo, Cantillon takes a look at Cathal Friel’s plans for more stock market IPOs.

Uncertainty over US trade policy in the wake of November’s presidential election is already affecting hiring in Ireland by firms operating in the tech sector, according to recruitment specialist Morgan McKinley. Colin Gleeson has the details.

Is climate change a ticking time bomb for investors? Stocktake offers a view.

The number of mergers and acquisitions in the first half of the year fell by 20 per cent due to uncertain economic and political conditions, according to a report from law firm William Fry. Colin Gleeson reports.

McDonald’s has suffered its first global drop in sales since 2020, as consumers around the world balk at the higher cost of burgers, fries and soft drinks.

Stay up to date with all our business news: sign up to our Business Today daily email news digest. If you’d like to read more about the issues that affect your finances try signing up to On the Money, the weekly newsletter from our personal finance team, which will be issued every Friday to Irish Times subscribers.

News Digests

News Digests

Stay on top of the latest news with our daily newsletters each morning, lunchtime and evening