More than eight in 10 sales teams in Ireland are now using artificial intelligence in their day-to-day work, Salesforce has found. The customer relationship management software developer said that 83% of sales teams here have fully implemented or are experimenting with AI. A further 14% of teams are evaluating the technology, meaning just 3% have ..read more

The independent commercial radio sector has launched a new strategy to increase diversity and inclusion on-air and in its operations. Independent Broadcasters of Ireland's gender, equality, diversity and inclusion strategy is intended to help the organisation's 34 member stations "meet challenges and opportunities in the area." The strategy was developed by local, regional, multi-city and ..read more

The cryptocurrency group Coinbase has been fined £3.5m by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK for money laundering control failures, writes David Connett. The FCA said the group's UK entity, CBPL, failed to honour a voluntary agreement not to take on "high-risk" customers while it improved its systems. Despite weaknesses in its money ..read more

FMI has secured the tender to provide full field sales and merchandising for Colgate-Palmolive in Ireland. Colgate-Palmolive controls brands such as Colgate, Palmolive and Sanex, and is aiming to increase its market share and visibility with the FMI partnership. FMI, which is the European Field Marketing Partners member in Ireland, specialises in sales representation and ..read more

The rate of inflation for commercial construction has halved over the past year from 6.2% to 3% at the end of June, according to the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI). During the first half of 2023, commercial construction tender prices increased 1.5%, although the SCSI reported significant variation across the regions, with tender prices ..read more

Macra, a voluntary organisation representing 10,000 young people from rural Ireland, has welcomed the decision by the Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue announced today on the Straw Incorporation Measure (SIM). The scheme had been suspended by the agricultural minister due to fodder concerns but has now been reinstated. Following discussions with farming representatives, McConalogue announced ..read more

Global stock markets bounced back after trillions were wiped off the value of technology companies, writes David Connett. The widespread sell-off was sparked by disappointing quarterly results from Tesla and Google parent Alphabet which rapidly turned into a crushing market sell-off. It comes after optimism about artificial intelligence technology fuelled a long rally in a ..read more

Irish renewable energy developer DP Energy has been granted approval for the largest urban solar energy project in North America. Construction on the company's 325MW Saamis Solar Project in the city of Medicine Hat in Alberta, Canada will commence next year. Situated in the north-west of Canada's sunniest city, the Saamis Solar Park is expected ..read more

Consumer confidence has improved to a two-and-a-half-year high on the back of easing cost-of-living concerns and continuing economic gains, according to the latest Credit Union consumer sentiment index. The July sentiment reading of 74.9, up from 70.5 in June, is below the long-term average of 84.4, suggesting that consumers are still burdened by significant concerns ..read more

Revolut has finally been granted a UK banking licence after a three-year wait - paving the way for a stock market flotation, writes John-Paul Ford Rojas. The announcement brings to an end a tortuous process which hit trouble when auditors said last year that they could not verify the fintech firm's delayed 2021 accounts. The ..read more