Regulatory regime remains a big draw.

(From Insurance Day)

Byline: Symon Ross

DUBLIN is a financial centre that appears to be reaching real market status after years of attracting banks and insurers to the city through tax incentives and co-operative regulations.

The initial firms to set up in Dublin were given good reason to do so, with a corporation tax rate of 10%, very favourable to other established European finance centres.

This has increased to a still attractive 12.5% but to maintain interest Dublin has had to develop an infrastructure, talent base and a level of certainty in its financial services industry.

A key part of this stability for any business centre is its regulatory environment and how this is viewed by the international business world, as well as consumers.

Dublin's regulation, while never lax, was seen by many inside and outside Dublin as much more conducive to getting businesses up and running quickly than perhaps the more constrictive and red tape-littered supervisory environment that establishing in London would lead to.