Breakfast Business with Joe Lynam

Tuesday's business news headlines along with Newstalk Business Editor Joe Lynam.

The Renewable Heating Obligation or RHO is the government’s effort to cut the use of fossil fuels when it comes to heating our homes. By ensuring that some of those fuels are blended with renewable sources such as Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil.  But the group which represents gas, oil and solid fuel suppliers and distributors says the RHO is not ambitious enough.  In fact, they sa...

The world's biggest cardboard box maker Smurfit Westrock says that it believes its profit levels could rise by 40% by the end of the decade.  In its first full set of results since Smurfit Kappa merged with WestRock in 2024, the Ireland headquartered but US listed group said it made an EBITDA profit of $4.9bn last year and trimmed its staffing by 3% amid softer US demand. So what does this ye...

There are increasingly calls for the European Savings & Investment union to be completed as soon as possible. In order to move Europeans from a savings culture to a more risk taking culture to promote European startups.  There might also be a single regulator for financial services which might threaten the two biggest nations for banking and fund management:  Luxembourg and Ireland.&...

Monday's business news review along with Joe Lynam and Russ Mould from AJ Bell.

A good bed and mattress is vital for something that accounts for a third of your life, i.e. sleeping.  Many beds are made overseas as are most mattresses. But Respa beds  has been making beds since 1947 in Oldcastle Co Meath.  Respa was even nominated recently for the Best Family Run Business Award in the Guaranteed Irish awards this year. Speaking to Joe all about their business wa...

Joe Lynam is joined on the show by Kate English Deloitte to look at today's business news.

There are 180 companies working in the space sector in Ireland these days and that's expanding due to demand for satellite technology in orbit but also for defence technology and even agricultural monitoring. We don't yet have a dedicated space agency here but the industry hopes to even launch rockets into space within the next decade Barry Kennedy, CEO at IMR  runs Irish Manufacturing R...

 My next guest has devised an AI chatbot which solves problems for tenants on behalf of landlords.  The company is called MARC and is already working with the likes of Sherry Fitzgerald and DNG lettings and hopes to expand into the US by talking to some of the giant property managers over there.  He’s only 22 and quit university to create the company and his name is Aaron Devitt the...

Thursday's business news review along with Newstalk Business Editor Joe Lynam.

AI is rapidly demonstrating that it could destroy seemingly established sectors by doing in seconds for a few euros what up to this might have taken months and enormous fees.  So what should Chief executives and C-suite experts be doing to prepare themselves and make themselves irreplaceable for another few years at least.  On top of that, how do senior executives motivate their staff wh...

Most people will have booked their Easter holidays by now but some will still be deciding where to go for the summer or Christmas.  There’s plenty of choice and much of the research these days is done online.  But where are we holidaying these days and will the onerous checks to go to America including all your family’s details make selling holidays an issue?   All to discuss w...

It’s the 6th largest economy in the EU with its largest port and some of its most important companies including ASML and Unilever.  It’s also the 5th biggest trading partner for Ireland and now as a brand-new centrist coalition government. But what can we expect in economic terms from the new Rob Jetten minority government  in a time of trade anxiety and pressure from the US?  All t...

Wednesday's business headlines with Newstalk's Business Editor Joe Lynam.

Last week the giant AI provider Anthropic issued a plugin to its Claude Large language Model.  When tested it was capable of carrying out the functions of many large software companies including the likes of Salesforce, Adobe, Workday and ServiceNow.  This led to a major sell-off in their shares and fears of the end of an era for Software as a Service or ‘SaaS’ companies. But is that ove...

The Spanish bank: BankInter is launching two new savings products this week and unlike all other fixed term savings plans, you can withdraw some of your savings and not lose all of your interest. It comes as the bank announced that it has 7% of all new mortgages being sold in Ireland under the brand-name Avant money.  Joining Joe on the show was Ciarán Byrne, head of Everyday Banking at BankI...

Newstalk's Business Editor Joe Lynam takes a run through Tuesday's business news headlines.

Last month the government announced significant changes to the rules surrounding data centres.  Gone was the moratorium imposed by the previous environment. Minister Eamonn Ryan and in came strict new rules for energy creation and usage. Digital Infrastructure Ireland says that the new rules are not enough and the likes of EirGrid and the ESB need to improve the provision of electricity infra...

The recent action plan on Infrastructure delivery cited the number of judicial reviews as one of the key reasons why big projects don't get completed on time or on budget. Irish courts take much longer than their European peers and one of the reasons for that is the fact that we have far fewer judges.  Seán Guerin Senior Counsel and Chair of the Bar of Ireland believes that making Judicial re...

Monday's business news review with Newstalk Business Editor Joe Lynam and Kathleen Brooks from XTB.

The US government now demands to see your social media history before issuing a tourist visa or ESTA to that country.  That includes Irish would-be travellers and sports fans if Ireland qualifies for the World Cup this summer.  And Trump is already having an impact.  Foreign visitors to the US fell 4.2% last year while international travel worldwide grew 4%.  Joe spoke to Glori...

Getting in the door with prospective clients is never an easy business.  Sometimes it’s via friends or existing customers.  Other times you have to do it the hard way and simply ring them up or slip into their DMs.  Aidan O’Driscoll has a cold calling service to get leads with the key officers within certain companies and business is good. Aidan spoke to Joe all about his...

Friday's business news and markets along with Joe Lynam and Aidan Donnelly from Davys. 

If you’re already a trained pilot but are between jobs.  Well you might not have to go too far to join an airline.  One of Europe’s largest low cost airlines Wizz Air is on the hunt for captains and first officers. Training takes place outside of Ireland and successful candidates would operate from Luton airport.    Joe was joined on the show by Yvonne Moynihan, Managing D...

Does your local chamber or business lobby group want to encourage people to spend more money in the locality? How about a type of payment card which can only be spent in a very specific area?  That's the idea being used by Chambers in Ireland in its new Town & City Gift Card.  It’s being created by a company called Miconex Ireland using MasterCard technology.  But will it work a...