The Irish Stock Exchange (“the Exchange”) is a key element of the financial infrastructure of Ireland. Its roots stretch back to 1793 when the Exchange first opened for trading in Dublin. As a regulated European stock exchange the Exchange complies with the requirements of the Prospectus Directive in relation to securities listed on its regulated markets which include equities and corporate bonds of companies, covered warrants, government bonds, investment funds, exchange traded funds and specialist securities. Trading on the Exchange is primarily conducted in the equities and Government bond markets on the ISE Xetra trading platform and EuroMTS platform respectively In recent years the Exchange has established a leading position globally in investment funds and specialist securities listings and this continues to be a growth area for the Exchange. The Exchange is regulated by the Financial Regulator.

RABO BANK

RaboDirect is Ireland's first internet-only bank and is part of the Dutch co-operative, Rabobank Group. Rabobank has operated in Ireland since 1994 when it opened an office in the Irish Financial Services Centre (IFSC) in Dublin and subsequently acquired ACCBank in 2002. Rabobank is also Europe's largest online bank. 3.7% interest on savings - that's 10 times more than the average bank account. High level of online security through Digipass system. It's time to change how people bank in Ireland! Rabobank is licensed by the Dutch Central Bank. RaboDirect's conduct of business in Ireland is also subject to the supervision of the Financial Regulator.

The Irish government's Special Savings Incentive Scheme commenced on 1 May 2001. To participate in the scheme, savings accounts (called "special savings incentive accounts" or "SSIAs") had to be opened before 30 April 2002. Under the terms of this scheme, for every amount saved in a special account, an additional 25% will be contributed by the exchequer to your savings. So, for every 4 euro you save each month, you will get 1 euro. The cash will be credited each month directly to your savings account. You can put your money into any institution approved for the purpose of the scheme such as banks, building societies, credit unions, life assurance companies etc. You must have signed up to save an amount each month and to benefit fully from the scheme you must leave your savings in the special savings account for a period of five years. The exchequer contribution of 25% applies for a period of five years. Income or gains from the savings investment will be taxed at 23% and this will be deducted by the participating financial institutions at the end of five years. Where that is the case, only the income or gains generated by the investment of moneys lodged in the account will be liable for tax at 23%. This tax will be deducted at the end of the five year period whether the funds are withdrawn from savings or not at that point. However, if there is an earlier withdrawal from an account (other than on death), the full amount withdrawn (both the savings and investment return) will suffer tax at 23%.