According to a recent Total Development Cost Study from the Department of Housing, constructing a two-bedroom flat in Dublin now costs nearly €600,000 on average. This outlines the challenges of developing flats crucial for addressing the housing shortage. The study reveals that the cost to deliver such apartments varies from €549,790 in suburban regions to €591,783 in city locations, as noted by correspondent Eoin Burke-Kennedy.
Meanwhile, British digital bank Monzo has appointed ex-Stripe executive Michael Carney to head its expansion into the European Union, assigning two Irishmen to spearhead this significant growth strategy.
More financial news comes from AIB which has plans to invest €40 million in modernising over 60% of its 170-branch network by the next year’s end, which it claims will further lower its carbon emissions by 10%, aiming for net zero in its operations by 2030 as reported by Joe Brennan.
In academic collaboration, University College Dublin (UCD) has partnered with Codling Wind Park, a fresh offshore wind initiative, to examine the possibility of revitalising native oyster reefs and seagrass beds within the Dublin Bay area.
Eoin also shares insights from a Grant Thornton report indicating a mere 16% of Irish firms consider geopolitical adversity from war or a potential second Donald Trump US administration as a possible hindrance, whereas globally the average stands at 43%.
Columnist Pilita Clark raises a pertinent question in her recent column about why sick individuals continue to show up to work, with the potential of spreading illness to coworkers, an issue she believes requires addressing.
Lastly, Credit Union Development Association’s Kevin Johnson explains the dawn of a new age for Irish lending, with credit unions ready to fill the void created by most building societies’ withdrawal from the market.
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