The mood of Irish consumers darkened in January due to the spike in Covid cases and the new lockdown imposed on the country.
The consumer sentiment index produced by KBC Bank recorded a bigger fall in the first month of the year than in the US, UK and the rest of the European Union.
Results from the survey suggest the pre-Christmas Brexit deal may have given a limited boost to consumers in January.
Instead, the explosive trajectory of the virus has dominated the mood of consumers.
The KBC Bank Irish consumer sentiment index dropped to 64.9 in January, from 74.6 in December.
It is now mandatory for workers to wear face coverings in banks, credit unions and post offices. The new regulations come into force with immediate effect follo.
Face coverings now mandatory for workers in banks and credit unions
Reporter:
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It is now mandatory for workers to wear face coverings in banks, credit unions and post offices.
The new regulations come into force with immediate effect following a campaign from the Financial Services Union (FSU) to require the wearing of face masks in their workplaces.
FSU general secretary John O’Connell said: The FSU launched a campaign several weeks ago seeking this change so I very much welcome it.
Our members were very concerned that they were being treated differently to any other retail staff. Concerns increased when the new variant of COVID-19 was identified and the virus became more transmissible.’
Brian Hayes of the Banking Payments Federation Ireland. Photo: Leon/RollingNews.ie
It is the first time in more than 20 years that rival banks have joined forces to take on such a project.
Calling the venture ‘Project Pegasus’, AIB, Bank of Ireland, Permanent TSB and KBC formed a company called Synch Payments to deliver a “multi-bank payment app”.
The Banking and Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) is co-ordinating the joint venture. Read More
Questions have been asked as to why the banks would not adapt their systems to use the European Union’s Sepa Instant payment system rather than developing their own payment app. Sepa Instant can transfer of up to €15,000 in less than ten seconds.