The Master of the Worshipful Company of World Traders, Alderman Professor Michael Mainelli, led a delegation of over 50 liverymen, including senior politicians and media figures, to Dublin on a trade visit on June 14-16th. A number of events were held including a dinner at Iveagh House and a symposium entitled 'Technology and Trade' hosted by IDA Ireland at its headquarters at Wilton Place, Patrick Young, publisher, Exchange Invest, was also amongst the speakers. Prof Mainelli and Patrick Young will be among the speakers at Finance Dublin and Aviation Finance Financial Centres Summit 2018 in Dublin Castle on the 2nd and 3rd October. They will join over fifty speakers at the event which will focus on business development opportunities for financial services businesses to 2025 and beyond.

25 years of global ETFs: The $5.2 trillion global ETF industry is the subject of our Cover Special Report in this issue where we look at the combination of factors that have driven their growth, assess their prospects for continued delivery in the 2020s and look at the latest global developments and Ireland's leading role in the European ETF market.

We focus on the Central Bank's new Innovation Hub that will focus on 'engagement, sharing and listening' and provide a direct contact point for new and incumbent firms on their fintech innovations.

Also: The EU's Digital Tax proposals and the spectre of multiple-taxation are analysed as is the conflict between the EU and the OECD on the future of international tax the Irish Tax Monitor, and the implications of the Coffey Report's recommendations for Ireland's FS industry; Dillon Eustace's Muireann Reedy analyses financial sanctions regimes and their extra-territorial reach; BPFI's Amy Walsh on the evolving landscape of banking recovery planning; Editorial: Mid Year Review for Ireland's financial services centre.

6th June 2018: Michael Bloomberg, the founder of Bloomberg and former Mayor of New York City visited long standing client Bank of Ireland Global Markets where he saw Ireland's largest dealing room, the 175 person BOI Global Markets treasury and fx dealing facility. Since the 1980s, Reuters and Bloomberg have provided rival trading and price systems to the markets, with BOI and AIB, along with others such as Citi, and BNP Paribas dominating the then pre EMS and euro, fx, and money markets trading and corporate treasury business.

Lory Kehoe, Deloitte's former EMEA Blockchain Lead and the recently appointed managing director at Consensys, which recently opened in Dublin with plans to employ over 60 people and Deloitte's John Hallahan, writing in the March 2018 issue of Finance Dublin analyse blockchain applications by financial services companies - for example KYC/AML compliance.

6th June 2018: DMS Governance is to create 50 new roles in Cashel Co. Tipperary following the acquisition of Aviation Corporate Services. The expansion will see DMS Irish-based operations expand to 150 roles as the Cayman Islands-headquartered company expands into servicing investors in aircraft and aviation assets. DMS Governance is a worldwide leader in fund governance, risk and compliance representing leading investment funds and managers.

May 15th 2018: Thomson Reuters has applied to the Central Bank of Ireland to move its FX Multilateral Trading Facility (MTF) to Dublin to maintain access to the EU's single market after Brexit. Thomson Reuters MTF is one of the largest trading platforms in the global forex market with derivatives trading volumes of more than $300 billion a day. Spot global foreign exchange is a $5 trillion a day market.

Morgan Stanley has confirmed plans to extend its fund management activities in Ireland. Ruairi O'Healai, COO and CEO Morgan Stanley Investment Managers, said the firm intends to establish a new business in Ireland and that is has a number of licence applications pending with the Central Bank of Ireland in connection with this. Morgan Stanley has confirmed plans to extend its fund management activities in Ireland. Ruairi O'Healai, COO and CEO Morgan Stanley Investment Managers, said the firm intends to establish a new business in Ireland and that is has a number of licence applications pending with the Central Bank of Ireland in connection with this. This is a project that has been targetted by IDA Ireland for some considerable time since the Brexit vote. Two other firms, Legg Mason and Standard Life Aberdeen, also confirmed their plans for their Dublin operations at the Irish Funds Annual Global Funds Conference 2018.

The winners in the Twelfth Annual Finance Dublin Deals of the Year Awards reflect the upsurge of corporate activity in the economy with a number of milestone deals underlining the strength of the economy recovery. The winning deals are in announced in a Special Report in Finance Dublin. The Report highlights the exceptional year of development on many fronts in corporate finance and capital markets in Ireland during the past year. This is reflected in the deals and awards themselves, which reveal remarkable evolution in various markets across the board. Over 150 Deals were nominated by market participants for this year's Awards, which are awarded on an individual basis across 5 broad categories: Mergers & Acquisitions; Debt Capital Markets; Equity Capital Markets; Loans & Financing, and Financial Services.

A common position on CMU was cited by Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe, as an example of the common interests that would be shared by other member states in the 'association' which he said includes the Nordics, Baltics and Dutch. The Minister was delivering a keynote address at the Irish Funds Annual Conference in the Convention Centre Dublin today. The Minister also said the much anticipated ILP legislation is currently being reviewed in his department and draft legislation can be expected during the course of the summer

As the Irish Collective Asset Management Vehicle (ICAV) enters its fourth year, Meliosa O'Caoimh, Managing Director, Northern Trust, Ireland, reflects on the factors behind its success and what will be required to ensure that its growth momentum is maintained into the future. In this wide ranging review, in the 2018 edition of the Finance Dublin Yearbook, she also assesses the key pillars of the Irish investment funds industry, and its service record for both domiciled and non domiciled funds, including the $100 billion Irish ICAV industry that has emerged in the 3 years since the passing of the ICAVs Act in March 2015.

Along with the Deals of the Year Awards 2018: Ireland has been designated by ISDA as one of two alternative EU jurisdictions to the UK for the legal framework for derivatives, the building block tools for hedging and financial risk management globally.

We speak to ISDA on the topic in our article inside, and Judith Lawless, McCann Fitzgerald partner, writes on the implications. (McCann Fitzgerald are Irish counsel for ISDA).

Also: the potential impacts of US Tax reform are analysed in the Irish Tax Monitor, and the implications of Brexit for tax planners fearing a harder border in Ireland than forecast to date; Artificial Intelligence; GDPR for financial services companies, and, as the Irish ICAV celebrates its third birthday with AUM surpassing $100 billion, Northern Trust's Meliosa O'Caoimh looks at its advantages and its prospects. Also, our editor, Ken O'Brien writes on wealth and asset management and the digital future.

Dublin as a financial centre is still heavily favoured to be a major beneficiary from Brexit, according to the latest survey by CFA Institute, the global association of investment professionals. Almost 1,000 CFA members responded to the survey, with 24 per cent of respondents from the UK, 24 per cent from the EU (ex-UK), and the remainder from the rest of the world.

"To 2025 and beyond" is the theme of The Financial Centres Summit, Dublin, 2018, Dublin Castle, October 2-3rd 2018.. It will focus on the opportunities and the central business concerns of all IFS businesses with a balance of contributions from thought leaders across all major sectors including asset and wealth management, investment funds, financing, capital markets, banking, trading, market infrastructures, aircraft leasing, and insurance.

The focus of the Special Report Investment Funds 2018 - Global strategies in asset management is on the global issues that are dominating strategic decisions in the asset management industry in the year to come. The Report highlights the fundamental issues that will be at the heart of strategy for the international investment funds industry in 2018. Published: December 2018.

In the December issue: basis.point is the Irish funds industry's initiative to make a real and visible difference by supporting educational programmes for disadvantaged children across Ireland.

The Financial Centres Summit, Dublin 2017 presented by Finance Dublin and FSI in Dublin Castle heard from over 80 speakers on the current vital issues for Ireland's IFS industry on Tuesday October 17th. See the latest on the event and what's happening as a result on Twitter here at: #FCSDublin2017 Proceedings started with the keynote address by Lord Jonathan Hill, former EU Commissioner for financial services. Click here for updates in the months to come on FCSDublin2018 in Dublin Castle on October 2nd and 3rd 2018.