Tánaiste Simon Harris and Minister of State Robert Troy launch new Ireland for Finance Strategy

• New Strategy targets 70,000 jobs by 2030, with 25 per cent to be located in the regions
• 31 key actions to boost competitiveness, support innovation and deepen Ireland’s skills base
• Strategy places digital transformation, including AI, digital assets and tokenisation, at the centre of Ireland’s financial services ambitions

Tánaiste and Minister for Finance, Simon Harris, and Minister of State with special responsibility for Financial Services, Credit Unions and Insurance, Robert Troy, have today (Tuesday, 25th August) launched the new Ireland for Finance Strategy 2026-2030.

The strategy sets out 31 key actions aimed at strengthening Ireland’s competitiveness as an international financial services centre and positioning the sector for the next phase of digital transformation.

Central to the strategy is increasing the number of jobs in Ireland’s international financial services sector to 70,000 by 2030, with 25% of these positions located in the regions.

Among the actions include measures to support the timely progression of financial services legislation, simplify regulatory and taxation frameworks, facilitate transformation and innovation, and deepen Ireland’s skills and talent pools.

The strategy also places a renewed emphasis on connecting the international financial services sector with Irish businesses and citizens, including through the Government’s work to widen participation in retail investment.

Ireland’s international financial services sector currently employs approximately 61,000 people across more than 600 firms, up from approximately 35,000 in 2015.

Ireland is now the fourth-largest exporter of financial services in the EU and a leading European centre for funds and asset management, aviation finance, insurance, banking and capital markets.

Following significant consultation, the strategy articulates four ambitions:

1. For Ireland to remain a competitive and trusted global international financial services centre;
2. To have capacity to scale and attract expertise to enable economic growth in the EU;
3. To leverage technological capability to support digital transformation; and
4. To develop links with domestic businesses and citizens.

Among the 31 key actions are:

• Cutting regulatory and legislative friction: Implementing the Central Bank’s Simplification Roadmap, introducing a new Regulatory Impact Assessment and improving the timeliness and visibility of financial-services legislation.
• Modernising legislation to support tokenisation and private investment: Reviewing the ICAV and Companies Acts for tokenised investment funds and modernising the 1907 Limited Partnership Act to support private assets and venture capital.
• Putting digital assets firmly on the agenda: Establishing a new Digital Assets Industry Group and examining public-sector use cases for digital assets.
• Backing Ireland’s fintech and start-up ecosystem: Examining how the National Startup Hub can better support international financial services and fintech firms.
• Opening up new sources of climate finance — reviewing how Ireland’s structured finance sector could support blended climate and sustainable finance initiatives.

The strategy was published today ahead of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the International Financial Services Centre next year.

Launching the Ireland for Finance Strategy, Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris said:

“Government wants to support businesses to grow, but sometimes the best way we can do that is by stepping out of the way - reducing unnecessary burdens and allowing firms to get on with what they do best.

“I want Ireland to remain a stable, predictable and trusted home for international financial services, but our ambition must go further than maintaining what we have. We want to build scale, attract new expertise, embrace technologies such as AI and digital assets, and create stronger links between this sector and Irish businesses and citizens.

“This is about making sure Ireland remains one of the world’s leading financial services centres for the decades ahead, creating high-value jobs and economic opportunity right across the country.”

“Almost forty years ago, Ireland made a bold choice. We chose to build something new. We chose to compete globally. And we chose to back ourselves.

“The IFSC started with policy ambition at a government level, setting the framework. The success of the successful IFS sector has been built on strong public-private collaboration through successive strategies and by the countless individuals who promoted Ireland Inc.”

“Ireland’s international financial services sector is now a cornerstone of our economy, employing approximately 61,000 people.

“We recognise the importance of not only maintaining our reputation as a competitive and attractive location for financial services firms to operate, but also of building on that reputation to ensure our continued success.

“Through this strategy, Ireland will leverage the financial services opportunities that transformation presents, while ensuring our regulatory framework remains robust, proportionate, and fit for purpose.

“This new strategy reflects both confidence and ambition: confidence in the strengths that have brought us to where we are today, and ambition to ensure that Ireland remains a leading international financial centre for decades to come.”

The development of a strong international financial services sector has been a key part of Ireland’s industrial policy since the 1980s.

In 2015, the government launched an International Financial Services Strategy, IFS2020.

This was followed in 2019 by a new strategy for the further development of the sector, Ireland for Finance, which was further updated in 2022.

The new Ireland for Finance Strategy 2026-2030 builds on these strategies to drive further progress for Ireland’s international financial services sector until the end of the decade.

Thirty-one key actions are detailed under areas of:

• Legislation
• Financial Regulation
• International Banking
• International and Speciality Insurance
• Digital Assets and Tokenisation
• Sustainable Finance
• Transformation and Innovation
• Skills and Talent
• Enhancing Links to Businesses and Citizens
• Governance
• International Engagement

The Department of Finance launched the public consultation process for the renewed strategy in 2025. The consultation period ran from July to September 2025, receiving 57 submissions from a cross section of stakeholders in Ireland’s financial services ecosystem including industry bodies, financial services firms, professional services firms and the skills and education sector.

Throughout the consultation period, 11 Ministerial roundtables were held with industry bodies from banking, financial services, fintech, insurance, investments and aircraft leasing associations. International stakeholder engagement occurred during a number of foreign visits by Minister of State Troy, including the New York Trade Mission, which encompassed 17 engagements involving roughly 60 financial services firms.

Since 2015, employment in the IFS sector has grown from 35,000 to approximately 61,000.

IFS2020

Ireland for Finance 2019

Updated Ireland for Finance 2022