BoI pledges to lend SMEs €12bn over next 5 years

Bank of Ireland has pledged to lend €12bn to SMEs over the next five years, saying it is “very much open for business”.

Addressing yesterday’s sitting of the Joint Oireachtas Jobs Committee, the bank’s chief executive, Richie Boucher, stated that with its funding and restructuring plan taken care of, the key remaining issue for BoI was the generation of revenue, which, he said, meant “supporting our customers”.

Mr Boucher said the SME sector remained a key area for the bank and lies “at the heart of our strategy”.