Governor Makhlouf visits Kerry

Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland, Gabriel Makhlouf, visited Tralee and Killorglin, Co. Kerry today to meet with local business people and students as part of the Central Bank’s outreach programme.

Throughout the year, the Governor and staff from the Central Bank travel the breadth of the country to hear views from a cross-section of people within Irish society to help build understanding and inform the work of the Central Bank. 

Speaking today, Governor Makhlouf said, “I am delighted to be here in Kerry to meet people from across the county. Through our outreach programme, we engage with people from all over Ireland to listen to what is important to them and to their communities, particularly in relation to areas where the work of the Central Bank affects their lives.”

He continued, “Hearing the perspectives of the next generation is always valuable and I particularly enjoyed the opportunity today to meet some of Kerry’s younger citizens — students from Mounthawk Secondary School and Tralee IT to answer their questions about the work of the bank and the wider economy. I was also interested to learn about the RDI Hub, and discuss the work done by the Central Bank’s Innovation Hub.”

During the visit, Governor Makhlouf also met with representatives from the Kerry Business Women’s Network and the Tom Crean Business Incubation Centre where he heard about business development in the county.

The visit began in Killorglin’s RDI Hub, where he heard about the organisation’s work to drive job creation and facilitate research and development in the financial technology sector. He then travelled to Tralee to meet with students at Mercy Mounthawk Secondary School and Institute of Technology Tralee where he explained the work of the Central Bank to students and listened to topics of interest to them in relation to the economy and the labour market.

Notes:

The Central Bank’s Innovation Hub is a direct and dedicated point of contact for firms developing or implementing innovations in financial services based on new technologies. The Innovation Hub provides a new opportunity for firms to interact with the Central Bank outside of more formal existing channels. Since its launch in April 2018, the Innovation Hub has directly engaged with 166 firms and other FinTech stakeholders including academics, incubators, accelerators and other regulators. Firms contact the Innovation Hub to have a conversation about their product as well as to ask questions on the Central Bank’s policy approach to innovation and the authorisation process. Interested firms can make an enquiry at [email protected].