Business optimism plunges and why Irish people are not investors

DCM Editorial Summary: This story has been independently rewritten and summarised for DCM readers to highlight key developments relevant to the region. Original reporting by Irish Times, click this post to read the original article.

As the Data Protection Commission opens an investigation into the “nudification” issue with X’s AI assistant Grok, Ciara O’Brien shows that while the DPC has fined big tech firms billions, it has only collected a fraction of the outstanding levies.

Why do Irish people leave billions of euro on deposit earning next to nothing, and avoid investing their hard earned cash? John McManus assesses what has led to this point, and what might get people putting their money to work.

The level of optimism among medium-sized businesses about the outlook for the Irish economy over the next 12 months has fallen to its lowest level since the pandemic, new research shows. Colin Gleeson reports.

Plenty of us have at least contemplated buying a home in need of a big renovation and making it “just right,” but in reality it is a job that is widely seen as being beyond the resources of a traditional first time buyer. Should that be the case though? In Money Matters, Joanne Hunt looks at whether it is possible for a person’s first home to be a fixer upper.

The company behind saunas operator ‘The Hot Box Sauna’ has lodged plans to retain its sauna facility at Killiney Beach in south Dublin. As Gordon Deegan writes, the application before Dun Dún Laoghairedown Co Council is one of two retention applications Lidoc Experiences Ltd has lodged for saunas already in operation at different locations around Dublin.

Gordon also reports that the owner of 10 apartments available on the Airbnb and booking.com platforms near Dublin Castle has failed in its bid to secure planning retention to allow the apartments to continue to be available for short-term letting.

Bank of Ireland is to pull out of its US leveraged acquisitions finance business, exiting a business that had accounted for the bulk of a €137 million bad loan provision in its most recent results.

There was a deficit of at least 38,900 student bed spaces in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway at the end of 2025, according to an analysis of the sector by Sherry FitzGerald, Ireland’s biggest estate agent. Ciaran Hancock has the story.

While there has been concern for sometime that Ireland Inc. may be missing the AI boat when it comes to investment, it seems that fear may have been overblown. OpenAI is seeking office space for about 400 workers in Dublin, reports Ronald Quinlan. It comes weeks after the company brought in its head of sales for EMEA in Dublin, key hire for the company.

Also in Commercial Property, Ronald reports that a site with planning permission for 38 apartments in Killester in north Dublin is on the market for €3.45 million while an office on Pembroke Street is on the market for €15.5 million.

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