With net assets in Irish-domiciled funds reaching €5.8 trillion in early 2026, Ireland is recognised as a global centre of funds excellence. According to Irish Funds, the representative body for the sector, there are about 20,000 people employed directly in the funds and asset management industry here, while a 2024 Indecon report put its exchequer contribution at €1 billion.
Investment managers, for one, appear to be following the science instead of political whims, with sustainable investing remaining in demand around the globe. Despite an increasingly complex and polarised policy landscape, investor engagement with sustainable investing has remained broadly stable in recent years, writes Sandra O’Connell.
Gold is also receiving a lot of investor attention recently, and has surged to record highs in recent months, writes Edel Corrigan. But with prices already elevated, is it too late to buy or could continuing geopolitical instability push gold even higher?
Artificial intelligence (AI), of course, is at the centre of investor optimism; but it’s also transforming the industry itself. As margins tighten, investment firms are embedding generative and agentic AI to speed up processes, automate legacy workflows and drive operational efficiency, writes Frank Dillon.