The COVID19 pandemic and the measures put in place to contain it have delivered an enormous shock to the world economy. Indeed, the IMF has said that this crisis is like no other due to the shock being so large and sudden, with a continued high degree of uncertainty about how long it will last. As a result, economic forecasting in the current unprecedented COVID19 recessionary environment is very difficult, with a wide range of outcomes possible for GDP.

What is clear, though, is that GDP will contract sharply in 2020. Incoming macro data are reflecting a sudden and very severe contraction in activity. For example, the Composite PMIs for April from the US, Eurozone and UK plummeted to record lows, with the weakness most evident in the services sector and consistent with a large contraction in business activity. Other data, including US monthly payrolls and jobless claims, highlight the unprecedented collapse in employment and surge in unemployment. Big falls in GDP for the first quarter of the year are being seen in many economies.

Regulations such as the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR, implemented in 2018) compel organisations to take cyber security precautions or else incur heavy fines. Many of these regulations force organisations to safeguard the personal data they hold; slip up in this arena and you'll face lasting public outrage and mistrust, which in itself causes economic harm.
 
Beyond financial damages, cyberattacks cause truly incalculable harm by disrupting or ruining personal lives, professional careers, and business relationships. And their physical impacts may be enormous - just think of downed power grids or scrambled medical data. 

​The cybercrime industry holds all the best playing cards, giving hackers everything they need to thrive indefinitely: expertise, financing, widely available readymade tools, strong financial and political incentives, anonymity and an inextricably interconnected digital landscape rife with vulnerabilities. 

​IN IRELAND, SMES HAVE BEEN STARVED FOR CHOICE OR SUPPORT WHEN APPLYING FOR FINANCE FROM TRADITIONAL LENDING INSTITUTIONS. HOWEVER, THE LENDING LANDSCAPE IN IRELAND HAS EVOLVED AND NOW BOASTS A WIDE ARRAY OF ALTERNATIVE LENDING OPTIONS. BUT WHERE IN A BUSINESS’S LIFECYCLE DO THEY FIT, WHO ARE THE PROVIDERS AND HOW DO THEY COMPARE TO OTHER PRODUCTS?

EQUITY
This is the usual opening point for startups, early stage and large businesses. Irish startups will tend towards cheaper equity in the form of Employment and Investment Incentive Scheme as well as exhausting the grants on offer. If their proposition is scalable enough, their equity will be attractive to those with a high-risk appetite. Feasible if you are a young agile tech startup, less so if you are a first-time restauranteur. By contrast, large businesses unable to take on additional debt because of exhausted lines of credit or high-risk expansion plans seek out the equity capital markets.

Where an individual who pays tax under the PAYE system makes a qualifying donation to an approved sports body they can claim tax relief by way of a deduction from total income. An approved sports body must promote an athletic or amateur game or sport, must be on the approved sports bodies listing on the Revenue website and must hold an up-to-date tax clearance certificate.

A donation will qualify under this tax relief if it is:....