BUSINESS NEWS
EBAY PARTNERS WITH ENTERPRISE IRELAND TO HELP IRISH SMES eBay has launched a national Retail Expansion Programme, in order to help 50 Irish SMEs reach new markets and attract customers from virtually anywhere in the world, using its online platform eBay.ie as a medium. The online marketplace has partnered with Enterprise Ireland and the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland to roll out the initiative to help SMEs expand their domestic and global reach. The pilot, launched at the beginning of March, will allow participating businesses to reach an audience of 179 million prospective buyers across 190 markets worldwide. Over the 12-month period, the programme will provide exclusive support to the selected businesses which are aiming to start up or expand their online presence. This includes on-boarding assistance, training, store subscriptions, promotional support and customer service support. Connemara’s Rí Na Mara, an organic beauty product company, is one of the first businesses to join the Irish pilot.
Hazel Mitchell, eBay; Deirdre Uí Chathmhaoil, founder of Rí Na Mara and Stephen Hughes, Head of Consumer at Enterprise Ireland
WOW AIR SHUT DOWN
STRIPE EXPANSION
€139M SURPLUS
Icelandic low-cost carrier Wow Air has ceased operation. All Wow Air flights have been cancelled and passengers have been advised to check available flights with other airlines.
Stripe has secured an e-money license from the Central Bank of Ireland. The online payments company plans to grow its engineering hub in Dublin following the news.
The Exchequer surplus for February came in lower than expected at 139m. This was down from a217m for the same period last year.
STRENCOM SIGNS 2M IN DEALS WITH CREDIT UNIONS Strencom, the Irish connectivity and cloud computing provider, has signed a number of connectivity deals, totalling a2m, with 140 credit unions across the country. Strencom will host the credit unions’ valuable financial data, in addition to connecting them to multiple branches and supporting M&A activity. Specifically designed for the financial services sector, Strencom’s bespoke connectivity and secure cloud hosting platform will provide secure and reliable service to the credit unions, which have total assets in excess of a8bn. All information will be stored in Strencom’s Irish-based security centre and backed up in a second centre also based in the country.
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“With Ireland as a hub for many multinationals and now with Brexit on the horizon, we anticipate more international firms will establish a presence here. ” Alan Murphy, Managing Partner, Eversheds Sutherland
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