Ireland has emerged as a prominent institutional investment hub owing to its regulatory environment, financial infrastructure and skilled talent pool. The International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) in Dublin houses many financial institutions, such as banks, asset managers and insurance firms. In addition, the country offers favourable tax policies to investment managers, including a corporate tax rate of 12.5% and tax benefits for some investment funds.

In recent decades, Ireland has become popular for establishing fund structures such as Ucits and alternative investment funds. In addition to a robust financial infrastructure, the country boasts a highly skilled workforce proficient in technology, data analytics and regulatory compliance. These attributes have made Ireland a desirable destination for institutional investment.

Funds Europe regularly covers the Ireland fund industry. In this year's special focus, we look at Ireland’s need for more technology specialists, recruitment trends, the rise of active ETFs and host a discussion touching on exposure to private retail investors, fund costs, the impact of the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation and technology opportunities.