Over $818m has been raised by FinTech companies in Ireland across 70 transactions between 2015 and 2019.
Marketplace Lending companies have captured 60.1% of all FinTech funding in the country since 2015. Since the financial crisis of 2008, mainstream banks have retreated from the space due to tighter regulations around lending standards. FinTech businesses in the B2B or P2P lending space fall outside the regulatory ambit in Ireland, and hence can operate without requiring authorisation from the Central Bank of Ireland, presenting an attractive investment opportunity for investors in the region.
RegTech companies have also captured a healthy share of investment since 2015 with 14.7% of funding. With the implementation of the European Parliament’s MiFID II legislation in 2018, RegTech has become integral to create a common language for machines to interpret the new rules, which are too lengthy and complex to be correctly implemented by a compliance team. Ireland specifically has been identified as both a technology hub and one of Europe’s financial centres, attracting attention and investment, fostering an environment where RegTech is able to flourish. Further to this, Ireland presents an attractive environment for companies looking for a base within the European Union and hence looking to leave London due to Brexit.
The other category consists of companies in Data & Analytics, WealthTech, Infrastructure & Enterprise Software, Institutional Investments & Trading, Real Estate, Blockchain & Cryptocurrency and InsurTech who collectively account for 4.6% of total funding since 2015.
The data for this research was taken from the FinTech Global database. More in-depth data and analytics on investments and companies across all FinTech sectors and regions around the world are available to subscribers of FinTech Global. ©2019 FinTech Global
