Updated September 28, 2026
What is Central Bank of Ireland?
In short
The Central Bank of Ireland licenses banks, credit firms and payment services, so you can check who is allowed to lend before you commit to a loan.
The Central Bank of Ireland regulates banks, credit firms and payment services in Ireland. It licenses the businesses that lend money, keeps registers you can search, and sets the rules for how credit is sold. In this group, Irish retail banks sit alongside Bank of Ireland, Avant Money, FEXCO and Accessifi. Checking a lender's authorisation costs you nothing and tells you who is answerable if payments go wrong, so it is worth doing before you sign anything.