ireland

Ireland is preparing to exclude cryptocurrencies from the government-designed personal investment accounts set to launch in 2027, which will allow savers to invest in listed stocks, bonds, and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The Irish government has classified cryptocurrencies and derivatives as "highly complex and higher-risk products" in its retail investment tax roadmap, and they will not be included in the scope of qualifying assets.The new accounts will set a yet-to-be-determined tax-free threshold, with amounts above the threshold subject to a low tax rate based on annual average value, and the existing deemed-disposal regime (which taxes unrealized gains at a rate of 38% every eight years) will not apply to investments within the accounts. Account providers will be responsible for calculating, reporting, and paying taxes to the Irish Revenue Commissioners, and savers will not face minimum contribution amounts, holding period, or lock-in period restrictions.The product list follows the European Commission's September 2025 recommendations regarding savings and investment accounts, which exclude high-risk and complex derivatives and cryptocurrencies, but with the exception of tokenized financial instruments. Tax rates, thresholds, and annual contribution limits are expected to be determined in the 2027 budget to be announced in October. Research from the Central Bank of Ireland shows that 38% of Irish households' financial assets are held in cash and deposits, higher than the EU average of 30%.

Irish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Simon Harris announced the framework for the country's new savings and investment plan via an Instagram video on Sunday, explicitly excluding crypto assets. Savers can hold stocks, bonds, funds, exchange-traded funds, and insurance products, while cryptocurrencies, derivatives, and interest-bearing cash are not permitted. The plan aims to guide approximately $203 billion (€175 billion) in deposits held by Irish households in bank accounts into the investment sector.Every Irish tax resident aged 18 and over can open an account, with contributions within the tax-free allowance being completely tax-exempt, while amounts exceeding this will be taxed at a low fixed rate annually. There are no minimum contribution amounts or lock-in period restrictions, but there is an annual contribution limit. Specific thresholds and tax rates will be announced on the budget day of October 6, with accounts expected to open next year. Research from the Central Bank of Ireland shows that Irish households allocate only 2.3% of their financial assets to direct investments such as listed stocks and bonds, significantly lower than the EU average of 7.5%.Harris also confirmed that the new accounts will not be subject to the "deemed disposal" rule—this rule requires certain funds to be taxed at a rate of 38% every eight years. The government will review this regulation more broadly in the coming weeks. A survey by the Central Bank of Ireland found that about 10% of adults hold crypto assets, primarily young men, with an average holding of approximately €2,266. Prior to the exclusion of crypto assets, Ireland launched its first national anti-money laundering strategy on August 13, enhancing scrutiny of private wallet transfers and due diligence requirements for overseas crypto businesses.

According to Bitcoin News monitoring, the Criminal Assets Bureau of Ireland transferred 500 bitcoins seized from a cannabis dealer in 2021, worth $38 million.

The Irish National Police (An Garda Síochána) reported that during a special operation against organized crime in the Galway area, police searched two properties and froze two cryptocurrency accounts worth approximately $900,000 in total. In addition, the police also froze a bank account containing €25,000 (approximately $29,100), and seized €9,300 in cash and drugs valued at approximately €18,300 (including amphetamines and cannabis).A man in his 40s involved in the case has been arrested and charged, and the investigation is ongoing.

According to Decrypt, the Irish government has released its first national anti-money laundering (AML) strategy, which plans to strengthen the review of digital asset transfers involving self-hosted wallets and increase due diligence requirements for crypto companies when cooperating with overseas institutions.According to the announcement from the Irish Department of Finance, this strategy implements the remaining requirements of the EU's Transfer of Funds Regulation, which will require crypto asset service providers (CASP) to perform "enhanced checks" on transfers involving private wallets, while implementing stricter customer due diligence when conducting business with overseas crypto companies.The related measures are based on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Travel Rule, which requires the inclusion of sender and receiver information in digital asset transactions to enhance the transparency of fund flows. Ireland stated that the new regulations will be advanced in parallel with the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA).MiCA establishes a unified regulatory framework for crypto asset service providers, while Ireland previously granted a 12-month transition period for its domestic crypto companies, which is shorter than the maximum 18 months allowed by the EU. The transition period is set to end at the end of December 2025, so the new requirements will directly apply to companies that have obtained formal authorization.

According to Cointelegraph, London asset management company Aviva Investors has launched its dollar liquidity fund tokenized shares on the XRP Ledger after receiving approval from the Central Bank of Ireland. Qualified investors can participate through digital wallets, with the underlying assets of the fund still held by the custodian, BNY Mellon, while Komainu provides digital asset custody and Licuido offers tokenization infrastructure.The fund invests in high-rated short-term dollar-denominated debt securities and money market instruments, with tokenized shares having the same investment objectives and liquidity characteristics as traditional funds.

According to Jinshi reports, OpenAI is expanding its European headquarters in Dublin, which is expected to create 250 new jobs. OpenAI stated that it will lease 88,000 square feet of office space in Dublin to meet the "rapidly growing demand from users, customers, and developers across Europe."The company currently has about 100 employees in Ireland. Ireland is already home to the European headquarters of many large tech companies (such as Meta, Apple, and Alphabet). Anthropic is also expanding its workforce in Dublin.

According to the Financial Times, Intel (INTC.O) will invest 5 billion euros (approximately 5.7 billion dollars) to expand its factory in Ireland, attempting to regain its dominant position in the manufacturing sector amid the artificial intelligence boom.Intel stated in a press release that this investment will increase the capacity of its facility in the Leixlip campus, located in the suburbs of Dublin, as part of the company's plan to boost data center processor output. The expansion project will enhance the production capacity of products including the flagship Xeon server processors while advancing research and development activities.Intel Executive Vice President Naga Chandrasekaran stated in a press release that this move is also part of the plan to improve the delivery capabilities for Intel's foundry business clients. Intel's foundry business primarily manufactures chips for other technology companies and is a crucial component of the company's revitalization strategy aimed at strengthening competition with rivals like TSMC.

According to Bloomberg, the Irish government officially launched the testing phase of the digital wallet on April 3 local time, which includes an age verification feature.According to a statement from the Irish Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, this digital ID will support age verification on social media platforms, aiming to protect children and adolescents from online harm.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, the cryptocurrency exchange platform Kraken announced that it has obtained the MiCA license issued by the Central Bank of Ireland, allowing it to provide compliant cryptocurrency services in 30 member states of the EU. This is another key compliance milestone for Kraken, following its acquisition of the electronic money institution license in 2023 and the MiFID license obtained in February 2025.

ChainCatcher news, according to official information, HashKey Group has announced that it has obtained registration approval as a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) from the Central Bank of Ireland. This is the first VASP license for HashKey Group that is fully compliant with the EU's Fifth Anti-Money Laundering Directive (AMLD5). The VASP registration allows HashKey Europe Limited to provide regulated services, including: exchange between virtual assets and fiat currency, exchange between one or more forms of virtual assets, virtual asset transfers, custody wallet services, and more.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, the UK Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA) has approved former Northern Ireland Secretary John Baker to serve as an advisor to the Bitcoin investment firm Axiom. Baker will join the company's second venture capital fund, Axiom Venture Fund II, as a part-time advisor.Axiom announced in August this year plans to raise $75 million for its second venture capital fund. To mitigate potential risks, the committee has set several restrictions on Baker's appointment, including a ban on using government confidential information for Axiom's benefit for the next two years, prohibiting lobbying the UK government, and not providing advice to Axiom in areas related to his former ministerial role.

ChainCatche news, the encrypted trading platform Legend Trading's subsidiary Legend Financial Ireland Limited has been approved by the Central Bank of Ireland as a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP). Additionally, Legend Trading is applying for a Crypto Asset Service Provider (CASP) license under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA). In Ireland, VASPs registered and operating before December 30, 2024, can continue their business under the transitional provisions set by MiCA while submitting their CASP authorization application.

ChainCatcher news, according to Decrypt, before the European Union introduces a new round of laws and regulations to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, Irish Finance Minister Jack Chambers will draft "emergency" legislation to update the country's cryptocurrency regulations. However, the minister did not explicitly indicate what these rules would include, nor did he specify when they would take effect. Chambers was appointed to the position in June 2024, having had little experience as a cryptocurrency regulator.It is reported that the EU's Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act will take effect on December 30, 2024, granting EU member states' Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) greater investigative powers and the ability to suspend transactions.

ChainCatcher news, according to a report by Sina Finance, the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) has fined Meta Platforms (META.US), the parent company of Facebook, €91 million (approximately $102 million) following an investigation into password storage at its Irish subsidiary, according to a statement from the regulatory agency.The owner of Facebook had previously notified the Data Protection Commission that it had inadvertently stored certain passwords of some social media users in "plain text" within its internal systems, without encryption protection or measures, prompting the Commission to begin an investigation into the password leak incident in April 2019.Last year, the European Commission accused the tech giant of transferring user data to the United States and imposed fines of up to €1.2 billion (approximately $1.3 billion), and this fine can be seen as a supplement to the fines imposed by the European Commission last year.

ChainCatcher news, according to the official website of the Central Bank of Ireland, Ireland is promoting financial democratization through the European Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA). Derville Rowland, Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland, stated at the European Compliance and Legal Conference that Ireland is committed to promoting the application of cryptocurrencies under the premise of secure innovation, particularly the positive impact of blockchain technology in the fields of investment and infrastructure.The MiCA regulation introduces a unified regulatory framework for the cryptocurrency sector, regulating electronic money token issuers and crypto asset service providers. Rowland emphasized that Ireland will work closely with European regulators to ensure consistent implementation of the regulations and avoid regulatory discrepancies. At the same time, Ireland will promote financial inclusion and innovation by improving the business authorization process, consolidating its position in the rapidly growing crypto industry.

ChainCatcher news, the cryptocurrency exchange Crypto.com has announced that it has obtained approval from the Central Bank of Ireland to become a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP). This approval was granted after a comprehensive review of Crypto.com's compliance commitments, including its capabilities in anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing, and will enable it to further offer services in Ireland such as cryptocurrency exchange for fiat currency and fiat currency wallets.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, Ramp Network has obtained Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) registration in Ireland, plans to make Ireland its European headquarters, and has established a team and business in Dublin.