Why Ireland ?

IFS-Why Ireland-November 2018

Ireland is regarded as a key strategic location for the world’s leading players – 17 of the top 20 global asset managers are located here.  Ireland offers managers access to the EU-wide marketing passport for UCITS and AIFs. It is consistently ranked among the best countries for doing business – 1st for attracting and retaining talent, 1st for availability of finance skills.

An expanding investment management centre

In tandem with Ireland’s development as the location of choice for the servicing of internationally distributed investment funds, both front and middle office activities have also expanded. In the last five years alone AUMs managed from Ireland have grown by 58% with Irish managers winning new mandates and with the expanding presence in Ireland of leading international firms including Amundi, Blackrock, State Street and Mediolanum.

An ideal centre for European distribution

Ireland is a sophisticated and mature financial services centre supporting global investment business, with experienced staff, regulators and service providers, offering investment managers a wide array of supports ranging from administration and depositories to trade management and securities lending.

Ireland is a committed member of the European Union and provides companies with guaranteed access to the EU-wide marketing passport for UCITS and AIFs. It is the only English-speaking member of the EU and Eurozone and is known for its clear and practical regulatory framework and support for the investment management and funds industries. It provides an ideal hub for organisations developing and marketing products across Europe.

The best people

Ireland has the youngest workforce in Europe – over 40% are under 29 years old. Ireland also has over 130,000 degree-level students across business, law and STEM disciplines. It is consistently ranked among the best countries for doing business – 1st for attracting and retaining talent, 1st for availability of finance skills, 1st for labour productivity and many more.

For both industry and government, a major policy area is to ensure the availability and quality of personnel and initiatives to facilitate the development of high-level skills in Ireland are prioritised.

Sustainable Investment/Green Finance – A centre of excellence

The investment management industry has significant expertise in sustainable investment and green finance and is leading the initiative with Sustainable Nation in creating an internationally renowned centre of excellence in Ireland for sustainable investment. The emphasis will be on a) decarbonising the economy b) promoting investment into clean/green infrastructure and c) promoting good ESG behaviour of investee companies within portfolios.