Connected newsletter: Revolut takes on home loans as Wing to deliver medical supplies by drone
Connected at the Business Post is your source for the news that matters in technology and innovation, all told from an Irish perspective
Revolut finally came out and told us what we’ve all been waiting to hear this week as it revealed plans to start offering mortgages in the Irish market.
The news, which came a day after the fintech reported a whopping 95 per cent rise in revenues last year, will be warmly welcomed given the lack of choice in the market. My colleague, Donal MacNamee, wrote a great analysis on Revolut’s push to become a full-service bank that’s well worth your time.
The other big local tech news story over the past few days was confirmation that Dublin-headquartered Keywords Studios is set to go private again in a £2.1 billion (€2.5 billion) deal. I’ll have more on this in the weekend so keep an eye out for it.
Elsewhere, the government has privately admitted there is now a significant risk that data centre operators could “lose faith” in Ireland as a location for development amid persistent constraints on the energy grid.
Just weeks after putting it up to Apple, the European Union has accused fellow tech giant Meta of breaching the Digital Markets Act by forcing Facebook and Instagram users to choose between seeing ads or paying to avoid them.
Wing, the drone delivery company owned by Google parent company Alphabet, is to start delivering medical supplies to two private hospitals in Dublin.
Renaissance, the highly-regarded Irish IT distributor led by Michael Conway, has been acquired in a deal valued at up to £900,000 (€1.05 million)
I spent a few days on the road this week, spending time in Kilorglin, Co Kerry where I called in to the RDI Hub. Given the difficulties experienced by the hub early on in its existence after opening its doors just before the country went into lockdown, it’s great to report that it is on the path to profitability.
Solidroad, an AI-powered platform for hiring, onboarding and training of customer-facing teams, has raised $1.2 million from a host of well-known angel investors. The start-up’s founders are also relatively well-known themselves.
The best jobs in tech
Our inaugural Top 100 ranking of the most important people in Irish tech was well received last weekend. Thanks for all the feedback. If you haven’t taken a look at who made the cut feel free to do so now.
In our weekly update, we are giving you the lowdown on the best tech jobs currently available locally. If you want to be included, then email topjobs@businesspost.ie
Weekly Newsletter
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In other news:
• Bank of Ireland announces 100 tech roles
• Amazon’s Irish subsidiaries pay €1.2bn in dividends to parent
• Logitech’s Irish directors receive bumper pay increase
Send on your news and views to connected@businesspost.ie
All the best,
Charlie
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