Dublin Announced by its leader as a Technological Capital | Cryptbuzz

The leader of Ireland, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, spoke at MoneyConf in Dublin and announced Ireland will become the capital of technology in Europe.

By Cryptbuzz Bureau -June 14, 2018 ShareImage - Shutterstock

Varadkar spoke about Ireland’s technological capabilities and how and why it is the centre of technologies. He said-

"I think there’s no better place to discuss issues like cybersecurity, blockchain, cryptocurrencies, AI, regulation, and future fintech than here in Ireland. Ireland is in some ways emblematic of the revolutionary changes that have taken place in the world of finance and technology. From being an inward-looking, insular place at the edge of Europe, Ireland is an increasingly multicultural, globalized a melting pot of nationalities which is proud to engage with the world."

Many technological centres of research and development of major financial companies such as Stripe, Mastercard, JP Morgan and Bank of China are headquartered in Ireland.

With that in mind, Ireland also has 26 new embassies and consulates to become more popular in the worldwide front.

The leader announced a higher budget to the body that takes care of technological improvements in the country, IDA which stands for Industrial Development Authority.

Ireland has been in the news the last one week for it’s Blockchain Ireland concept which is a Blockchain research and development initiative aimed at achieving breakthrough innovation in the blockchain space.

In the announcement Keith Fingleton, Chief Information Officer of IDA Ireland made a statement-

"IBEG and the Blockchain Ireland initiative will assist blockchain projects and businesses in leveraging the beneficial environment in Ireland to foster increased innovation, and develop a national, European, and international blockchain ecosystem. Ireland is uniquely positioned to serve as a technology hub within Europe and internationally, with a large, highly skilled workforce and clear government commitment to innovation – reflected by tax initiatives promoting R&D and foreign investment in the Irish economy. The proximity of international and local firms, industry bodies, governmental institutions, and universities within the country allows for effective collaboration to meet new opportunities."

Varadkar is positive about Blockchain.

"We’re now seeing the results of our work developing fintech and blockchain ecosystems here," Varadkar continued.

The words chosen by Varadkar such as not allowing other countries to ‘eat our lunch’ and ‘ensure that we keep pace with the evolving fintech and regulatory landscape’ suggest an aggressive and well planned move to Fintech overall.

The Irish government is providing $885,000 of funding for Irish stat ups that conduct blockchain and deep tech research.