Banking

Irish banks hit ‘sweet spot’ for investors

Ciaran Callaghan of asset manager Amundi says AIB and Bank of Ireland are ahead of mainland EU banks in performance measured on return on equity

Both AIB and Bank of Ireland have exceeded their targets in terms of annual return on equity and are set for record years

They may not be loved by the general public, but Irish banks are currently very popular with the international investment community.

More than a decade on from the €65 billion state bailout and the heavy losses racked up trying to tidy up bad loans and legacy issues on their balance sheets, the outlook for the three remaining Irish banks has changed dramatically in the last 12 months. And international investors are sitting up and paying ...