Irish Times Inside Business

Pat Davitt of the Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers talks to Ciarán Hancock about the impact of rent controls on the Irish market.And The Irish Times investigative reporter Colm Keena explains the links between a company in Sandyford, Dublin and one of Vladimir Putin’s closest associates.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The economy is being affected by several strong trends - where will those trends take us in the year ahead? Cliff Taylor looks at the latest Central Bank growth forecast, inflation, and other economic threats posed by the war in Ukraine. The end of this month will see the return of the Pendulum Summit to Dublin after a pandemic hiatus. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is among the big names appearing at the annual business and self-empowerment event. Pendulum founder and former Irish rugby international Frankie Sheahan talks to Ciaran about what it takes to attract big names to the summit and what attendees can expect this year. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On Monday, VHI took the insurance market by surprise by announcing rebates to customers and a price cut to premiums that will take effect in May. So what has brought about these changes and what will rival companies do? Health insurance expert Dermot Goode from Totalhealthcover.ie joins Ciaran Hancock to discuss this latest development in the market. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

With energy prices soaring and fears mounting over access to oil and gas, Cliff Taylor speaks to Muireann Lynch, Energy economist with the ESRI and Gerard Brady, Chief Economist at Ibec about the potential impact of EU embargoes on Russian energy supplies. Later on, Cliff is joined by Kevin O’Donovan, Managing Director at Statkraft Ireland and Senior Vice President of the company’s wind and solar activities across Northern Europe. They speak about Statkraft’s Irish offshore wind project, North Irish Sea Array and the future of renewable energy in Ireland. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, ICS Mortgages increased its fixed interest rates for owner-occupier loans with immediate effect. Ciaran Hancock speaks to Joe Brennan of The Irish Times about this development and whether other lenders might follow suit. Later on, Simon Carswell joins Ciaran again, to discuss the latest headaches for Irish aircraft lessors after the Kremlin passed a law re-registering foreign-owned aircraft in Russia. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Nearly two weeks into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Cliff Taylor and Mark Paul of The Irish Times take a look at the impact of the war on the global economy. They speak to Ciaran Hancock about rising energy costs and the implications for Irish consumers and businesses. They also speak about the growing list of firms withdrawing from the Russian market. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has thrown global markets into turmoil and seen a spike in the price of oil and gas. Cliff Taylor explains what impact the conflict will have on the global economy and how it will be felt in Ireland. Ciarán is also joined by The Irish Times public affairs editor Simon Carswell, who outlines how EU sanctions on Russia are causing problems for aircraft lessors based in Ireland.In the second part of the show: Veteran entrepreneur and whiskey maker John Teeling on how exposed the Irish whiskey sector is to the sanctions on Russia.Presenter: Ciarán HancockProduced by Jennifer Ryanwww.irishtimes.com/podcasts See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Government’s target to have almost one million electric vehicles on the road by 2030 will be “a huge challenge” according to a new report by economist Jim Power and engineering consultancy firm, Arup. So what needs to be done to decarbonise public, private and commercial transport and what will it mean for exchequer revenues? Power joins Ciaran Hancock to go through the findings. Also, with news this week that the newly built Holiday Inn in Dublin is to close after just seven months of trading to become an asylum center, Irish Times Business affairs correspondent Mark Paul and General Manager of Buswells Hotel Paul Gallagher speak to Ciaran about the post pandemic recovery for Dublin’s hotel sector. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Should Dublin Port relocate? Yes, according to a submission made to Dublin City Council by a group called the Docklands Business Forum, as the council prepares its development plan for the city for the next six years. But the idea also has many detractors, not least Dublin Port Company which plans to grow its operations where it is. Alan Robinson is CEO of the Docklands Business Forum and he joins Ciaran and Current Affairs editor Arthur Beesley to explain why he thinks the port would be better off elsewhere. Ciaran is also joined by Dublin editor Olivia Kelly to look at why Dublin City Council wants to block the construction of "build-to-rent" apartments in the city, and how it is running into problems in its efforts to do so. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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.