Looking to emerging Asian markets for new business must be a top priority for Irish companies, two separate conferences communicated as their central message yesterday.

BILLIONAIRE financier Dermot Desmond has emerged as a backer of the €400 million takeover of a British text message business.

WHEN Dermot Desmond bought the near-bankrupt London City Airport from the building firm John Mowlem he probably didn’t believe that 11 years later it would net him a profit of a cool €1 billion.

BORDER control in Australia will be assisted by an Irish software firm, Daon, who provided identity assurance software in a €30m (AUS$50m) deal.

IRISH biometric security specialists Daon plan to take the Japanese market by storm after winning a crucial identity-processing contract from the US Department of Homeland Security.