People attend a panel discussion at the fifth European Financial Forum in Dublin, Ireland, on Feb. 12, 2020. The fifth European Financial Forum, organized by Financial Times in partnership with Industrial Development Authority of Ireland (IDA), opened here on Wednesday, attracting hundreds of participants from the international financial services industry. (Xinhua)
DUBLIN, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- The fifth European Financial Forum, organized by Financial Times in partnership with Industrial Development Authority of Ireland (IDA), opened here on Wednesday, attracting hundreds of participants from the international financial services industry.
During the one-day event which was held in Dublin Castle, a landmark building complex in the Irish capital, senior officials and industry leaders from the sectors of banking, finance, insurance, regulation, fintech and asset management discussed the crucial issues impacting the financial industry today and the opportunities that lie ahead in the next decade.
Important speakers at the forum included Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar and former British prime minister John Major who talked in a fireside chat about the topic of "Brexit, the UK, the EU and the Future".
Speaking at the forum, Varadkar said that "Ireland is the seventh most competitive economy in the world and the second in the euro area."
He said that "international financial services have played a significant role in helping us achieve our place as a forward-looking country, integrated in the global economy. They contribute jobs and tax revenues to fund our public services, and trade and investment reaffirm our position in the world economy."
First held in 2016, the forum is aimed at boosting Ireland's status as a major financial services centre in the European Union after Brexit.
"Today Ireland is home to over 430 international financial service companies, employing almost 44,000 people," said Martin Shanahan, CEO of IDA, a semi-official organization responsible for attracting foreign direct investment in the country.
