In today’s uncertain world, it is more than ever vital that Irish business takes every possible step to ensure growth and profitability.

Where the problem for economies and financial services is lack of competition, residents of developing countries need to look to their own politicians. The remedy for their woes is not going to come from Mark Zuckerberg, writes Barry Eichengreen.

A group of 30 credit unions, including ones in Cork, Kerry, and Tipperary, has hailed the rollout of current accounts for the first time as an alternative to the big banks for its members.

There has been a significant reduction in tourist spending from British and German visitors to Ireland as Brexit fears loom large - according to the latest Dublin Economic Monitor (DEM) published by the capital's four local authorities.

Away from the dangerous Brexit soap opera, the EU has been reshuffling its pack of cards.

Only a fool would trust Facebook with his or her financial wellbeing. Maybe that’s the point. Facebook knows how many fools are born every minute, writes Joseph E Stiglitz Only a fool would trust Facebook with his or her financial wellbeing. Maybe that’s the point. Facebook knows how many fools are born every minute, writes Joseph E Stiglitz.

Tottenham have handed "indefinite" bans to three supporters who tried to sell their Champions League final tickets on a secondary ticketing platform.

When it comes to environmental issues, from single-use plastics to water wastage, consumers are regularly told the solution is in their own hands, Gráinne McGuinness..

A popular Cork City gym that went into liquidation this month owing €625,000 is now debt free and more attractive to potential buyers, according to the liquidator.

The World Cup looms in the distance . . . like a vast cloud about to blot out the sun, putting us in mind of Pompeii long ago, writes Michael Moynihan.

Is the charitable initiative a good news story or morally wrong?

 

US stocks rallied to record highs as Hurricane Irma weakened without causing as much damage as many had feared, and a North Korean holiday passed without new missile launches.

A former company director who pleaded guilty to operating a price fixing scam that targeted large firms including Google and Paypal, was fined €7,500 at the Central Criminal Court today.

Irish startup Touchtech secures online payments by using fingerprints and eye scans. It is now taking on the big players, writes Trish Dromey

From today you can use your mobile to pay in shops, if you have got an iPhone.

Google has taken over from Apple as the world's most valuable brand in an annual ranking amid signs the technology giant has "reached saturation point".

Some 46m people in the UK could potentially benefit from a case brought against Mastercard demanding £14bn (€16.5bn) in damages for allegedly charging excessive fees, according to court documents.

British supermarket giant Sainsbury’s has been awarded £69m (€83m) by a London judge following a long-running dispute over fees charged on card transactions with Mastercard.

UK consumers are preparing a £19bn (€22.5bn) class action lawsuit against MasterCard, almost two years after an EU court ruled the processing fees the company charged for cross-border transactions were unfair.

Credit unions are breaking new ground in offering its 350,000-plus members a debit card.

Get ready for a perfect Christmas party dress with Rachel Marie Walsh’s body-prep kit.

Irish businesses selling into the US should be wary of a “deluge” of card fraud that will be created next year, according to a leading expert.

Graeme McDowell may be experiencing patchy form on the golf course in 2015, but he can console himself with accumulated profits, at his commercial firm, topping $12m (€10.68m).

Having been the hotbed of financial activity in Ireland for the past 25 years Dublin’s International Financial Services Centre is now a key component of a developing financial technology sector here, alongside native technical expertise.

Samsung and MasterCard have been working together to bring Samsung Pay to various parts of the world. They will extend their partnership to launch the mobile payment system in Europe.

Keith Wood has described Ireland’s repeated failure to progress beyond the World Cup quarter-finals as “a horrible and embarrassing statistic”.

To celebrate the return of Champions League football this week, Mastercard surprised a group of amatuer players and turned their 6-a-side game into a night to remember.

As it prepares for an assault on the US market, Dublin company Smart Wall Paint has this month re-branded as Smarter Surfaces.

Sony Pictures Entertainment has refused to comment on the leak of highly sensitive data following a hacking attack, which revealed a female executive reportedly makes almost $1m (€800,000) less than her male counterpart each year.

A growing number of web security experts are casting doubt on the theory that North Korea was behind the hacking attack that crippled Sony Pictures’ computers and possibly leaked unreleased movies online.

Solid quarterly results from a range of big companies helped send the stock market slightly higher today.

WE toast it, we abuse it, we crave it when we lose it — there are some things neither money nor Mastercard can buy, and good health is one of them.

Pele, the footballer, the man the world calls The King still lords it but has a mixed legacy in his own country

Vladimir Putin’s nostalgia for the Soviet Union has never been a secret but, post-Crimea, the Kremlin has been actively campaigning for a return to a totalitarian state, writes Owen Matthews.

Consumers and small businesses left out of pocket following the collapse of Setanta Insurance will be able to claim back part of their premiums if they paid by credit card.

A branch of the US Treasury uses sophisticated financial tools to hit targets linked to hostile governments. This is the new global warzone, write Leah McGrath Goodman and Lynnley Browning.

Nato’s top military commander said Russia had a large force on Ukraine’s eastern border and that he was worried it could pose a threat to Moldova’s separatist Transdniestria region.

Kylie Minogue's new album will be called 'Kiss Me Once'.

Pharrell Williams will perform at this year's BRIT Awards.

Reilly spies new source of health funding

LAST year people sniffing around the potential of a burgeoning online company were explicitly told “every single person who joins Banners Broker makes money”.