Breakfast Business

The Appeals Centre Europe is the new body that internet users can turn to when they feel something should be taken down or kept up by the biggest platforms in the world. The Appeals Centre received 10,000 complaints from all over Europe and the majority of its decisions disagreed with the big platforms - mostly to keep something up on the web rather than take it down. All to discuss with Thomas Hughes the Chief Executive of the Appeals Centre Europe.

The tiny island of Bermuda in the North Atlantic is home to some of the largest insurance and reinsurance companies in the world. They pay for much of the Bermudan economy which has the fourth highest GDP per capita in the world on paper. Very large companies based in Bermuda had paid a cool 0% corporation tax until January this year when the new 15% rate was introduced in line with the OECD reforms. Ordinary companies still pay zero Corporation tax.David Burt is the Premier and Finance Minister of Bermuda and is visiting Ireland and attending the European Insurance forum.

Differing customs, languages, currencies and product standards make it tricky. Add in the fact that the Euro is 11% more expensive against the dollar since January and a global trade and tariff war as well as the threat of cut-price dumping on your home markets and you'll see what Irish exporters have on their plate. All of these topics will be on the table at Enterprise Ireland's International markets week. Speaking to Joe was Jenny Melia, the new Chief Executive of Enterprise Ireland.

Business news headlines review with Joe Lynam.

Merck has been active in Ireland for decades making products for hospital environments as well as life sciences. Now Merck Group, which is based in Germany and not to be confused with the American company of the same name, says that it will be creating the world's first climate neutral manufacturing facility in Cork. It comes as all pharma giants are being pressured to move their plants to America. Mark Dunphy, Managing Director and Head of Cork Operations, Merck Life Science, Ireland.

The Irish Management Institute is worried that senior Irish executives are falling behind their international rivals because they lack some of the leadership attributes to drive competitiveness. It also believes those charged with Change management are being increasingly overburdened with all sorts of responsibilities nowadays and is hosting a conference about leadership attributes on Thursday in Sandyford. All to discuss with Shane O'Sullivan of the Chief Executive of the IMI.

Tuesday's business news review with Joe Lynam.

Just over a week ago, Heathrow and Brussels were among a slew of European airports disabled by a cyber-attack. The origins of the attack aren't clear but fingers point at Russia. It takes a lot of effort and resources to take down Europe's busiest airport but that is what these fraudsters and criminals apparently have. So, what can smaller companies do in the face of these attacks? Gavin Millard, VP of Intelligence at Tenable joined Joe Lynam on the show.

The proposed Digital Euro gives spending power for those without banks and to have a Currency which bypasses the giant American card companies such as Visa and American Express. It's only an idea at the moment but we could all be spending digital euros before the end of the decade. But do we need it? Atze Faas is a payments adviser to EuroCommerce which represents Europe's retailers and joined Joe Lynam on the show this morning.

Kathleen Brooks from XTB looks at today's business news headlines along with Joe Lynam.

Personal consumption accounts for 27% of Irish GDP. Stripping out the multinational sector, that figure zooms to around 60% of Modified domestic demand. That's bigger than any one sector in the economy and so the mood of the consumer really matters. The latest survey for the Credit Unions suggests that the consumer is in ‘watch and worry' mode given the bigger geopolitical turbulence out there. The economist Austin Hughes compiles the report for the Credit Unions and joined Joe this morning.

Elis is a company that provides the garments and gowns to prevent any human matter from getting into the clean room for giants such as Intel. His garments don't shed nor have any loose fibres and are cleaned after each use. Bernard Flynn of Elis, Cleanroom and he is the Repak Green Business Person Of The Month for September.

Kate English - Deloitte looks at today's business news headlines along with Joe Lynam.

Thursday's business news headlines along with Joe Lynam.

Although less onerous than feared, the new 15% tariff regime represents a clear deterioration in Ireland's trading environment. Despite that, Irish growth as measured by Modified Domestic Demand is set to be a robust 3.8% this year but slip back to 2.9% in 2026. They are among the views in the latest quarterly economy report from the ESRI think tank, which also has a deep dive into Ireland's pharmaceutical sector whose Irish corporation tax receipts could be in jeopardy. All to discuss with Dr Conor O'Toole from the ESRI.

Dell is worried that Ireland is set to miss the boat when it comes to providing the infrastructure for the AI revolution including grid connections, water supply and even good old fashioned planning permission. This is a stark warning from one of the biggest tech companies in the world and comes as corporate America invests a trillion dollars on AI infrastructure and nuclear powered data centres. But do we have to copy them? Joe discusses this further with Jason Ward, EMEA North Vice-President and Managing Director of Dell Technologies Ireland.

In 2023 the Supreme Court made a key ruling in the employment space which makes it much tougher for freelancers to have arms length contracts with the company from which they earn most of their income. Now the Revenue has set until January for employers to get their contract labour onto regular PAYE contracts. It's a big shakeup especially for so-called gig economy workers.All to discuss with Deirdre Malone, Head of Employment Law at EY Ireland.

Last month Donald Trump scrapped the old de minimus rule for parcels coming into America, which allowed small packages to arrive tariff-free for US consumers. Now the EU is set to follow suit and make it far tougher for individual parcels to arrive tax-free into Europe. But British exporters will also be affected and what will it mean for European Consumers? All to discuss with Dr Anna Jerzewska Global Customs Director at the freight forwarding company DSV.

Wednesday's business news with Joe Lynam.

Joe Lynam brings us through Tuesday's business news headlines.

Professor Carl Benedict Frey thinks that high value technology jobs have a far higher multiplier effect than manufacturing jobs. Ie each highly skilled professional creates or supports up to five other jobs whereas each manufacturing job only has 1.6 supported jobs elsewhere in the business. Professor Carl Benedict Frey the Dieter Schwarz Associate Professor of AI and Work at the Oxford Internet Institute discussed all with Joe this morning.

We are exactly two weeks out from the budget, and although the leaking of tax or spending measures hasn't begun in earnest yet, we're starting to get a sense that this won't be like the last one ie a pre-election giveaway. So what can we expect in 2026 and what could that mean for companies? And which sectors can expect or even deserve the most support? Speaking to Joe was Daryl Hanberry the Head of Tax and Legal with Deloitte Ireland which hosts its “Global Shared Services Conference” this week.

There are twenty listed companies on the main ISEQ index of share on Euronext Dublin but only two of them are chaired by women and no female Chief Executives. That's despite numerous efforts to get women higher up the management food chain. Chief Executive of Kella Leadership Hannah Wrixon has started and run a number of companies and believes she may have the formula to get more women in senior roles and it involves building a community of female executives.

The American telecoms and broadcasting giant Comcast bought Sky in 2019 from Rupert Murdoch. Ggiving it a large footprint in the Irish TV and broadband market. Comcast also owns NBC which is coming under huge pressure from Donald Trump to give him more favourable coverage in a huge clampdown on free speech. But the Comcast brand itself is making inroads into the telecoms sector here going up against the likes of Eir and Virgin. Joining Joe this morning was Gavan Smyth the Country lead of Comcast Ireland.

Monday's business news review along with Joe Lynam and Ross Mould from AJ Bell.

Economic growth has been sluggish in Europe over the past 20 years. Few of the big new technology companies originate from here and red tape is a huge burden on businesses. How do investors handle the global tariff war and an unreliable but huge American market for European goods? All to discuss with Yves Bonzon, the Group Chief Investment Officer at the Swiss Bank Julius Baer.

Joe Lynam and Aidan Donnelly from Davys brings us Friday's business news review.

Since last month every parcel no matter how small that is sent from a company to a consumer in the US faces a tariff. It means that if you're an Irish exporter and are selling something to an American consumer, you need to add 15% tariffs on top of the sale price. Only personal gifts from one household to another will be exempt. It's a new world and here to explain it is Mike Farrell, is Managing Director of DHL Express Ireland.

Thursday's business news headlines along with Joe Lynam.

The latest quarterly economic bulletin from the Central Bank of Ireland is out. On the upside Modified Domestic Demand which is a measure of growth, has been revised upwards because the tariffs agreed with the US aren't as draconian as feared 6 months ago. On the downside, inward FDI is expected to slow as companies work out how and whether to set up factories in Trump's America. All to discuss with Martin O'Brien, Head of Division, Irish Economic Analysis with the Central Bank of Ireland .

You're probably aware of the SEAI grants that you can get for your home to install solar panels or better windows and insulation. But the Authority also provides a lot of financial support to companies hoping to slash their own energy bills and do their bit for the environment. SMEs can get grants for solar panels but also free advice on how to make their premises more sustainable. Fergus Sharkey, is Head of Business Supports and Transport in Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland.

Tuesday's business news review, along with Joe Lynam.

The arrival of AI means quite a few white collar jobs will become redundant in the very near future. It also means that those who work with their hands such as Tradesmen will be way more in demand. Chris Moran is in the final shakeup for the Screwfix Tradesperson of the Year and he's very worried about the number of young people going into the trades he joined Joe to discuss

Public procurement involves governments advertising to companies, encouraging them to apply or tender for State-backed contracts. It could be to provide services or to build a road or a hospital. The sums involved can reach into the billions, and because taxpayer value is at the heart of the process, the government wants as many companies to bid for contracts as possible. That's why it's organising a big procurement conference in 2 months. Emer Higgins is the junior minister with special responsibility for Public Procurement and is the driving force behind the expo and she joined Joe this morning to discuss.

They used to be known as industrial estates but given very few of them physically make stuff these days, they're now known as business districts. And Sandyford in south Dublin is the biggest in employment terms in the State housing as it does the likes of Microsoft, MasterCard and the Beacon hospital. Now the SBD wants to copy the highly successful Station F in Paris to attract the next generation of technology wizards. To chat more Joe spoke to Ger Corbett, chief executive of the Sandyford biz district.

Tuesday's business news review along with Joe Lynam.

It's time to dig out your wellies for the National Ploughing Championships. But a new study from the consultants Ifac suggests that tariffs and geopolitics mean that a record 44% of food producers are pausing investment . Despite 80% feeling very positive about their own company's outlook All to discuss with David Leydon, Group Head of Growth and Agrifood Consulting at Ifac.

More than a quarter of Irish adults still have no financial arrangements at all for their retirement, according to new research published today by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission. All to discuss with Grainne Griffin, Director of Communications at the CCPC.

Solid Fuel Merchants Ireland has warned that fuel smuggling and courier-dropped pallets are now at an all-time high, threatening rural jobs and depriving the exchequer of vital revenue. Joining Jonathan to discuss more was Colin Ahern, Chair of Solid Fuel Merchants Ireland.

The ACORNS programme has been designed to support early-stage female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland and runs over six months part-time. It is centered around interactive round table sessions that are facilitated by female entrepreneurs, known as ‘Lead Entrepreneurs', who have started and successfully grown businesses in rural Ireland. Among those Lead Entrepreneurs is Geraldine Jones founder and Chief Executive of Skin Formulas,

Energy costs, global uncertainty and labour shortages are the top concerns for Irish businesses, in a new survey from Irish B2B telecommunications provider IP Telecom, whose Chief Commercial Officer Robin Russell joined Emmet this morning on the show.

The vast majority of corporation tax receipts come from a handful of American companies based here. It's because of that overdependence and the increasingly unreliable behaviour of the American administration, that small businesses need to be encouraged and fostered to avoid what ISME refers to as “sleepwalking into economic peril“. The Small Business lobby group also wants a so called “reset on the national minimum wage calculation” All to discuss with Neil McDonnell the Chief Executive of ISME.