View this email in your browser Business Today Thursday, 13 August, 2026 Editor's Note Good morning, reader Irish Continental Group boss Eamonn Rothwell may succeed with his latest attempt to take the listed ferries group private but it won’t be with the blessing of some institutional investors who, writes Joe Brennan, are set to vote against the management buyout proposal. Mortgage interest rates in Ireland are rising, according to new Central Bank data, but they are doing so less dramatically than in some other EU states, allowing Ireland to dip below the average euro zone interest rate on new mortgages in June for the first time in over three years. Stephen Conneely has the numbers. Five years ago, engineering group BMC Manufacturing was making pretax profits of just over €50,000; last year, it was €22.5 million. Barry O’Halloran takes a look at the business, founded by Brendan Meehan in Ashbourne 35 years ago, which has been utterly transformed by the data centre boom, leading to Tuesday’s €900 million acquisition by Kingspan. Continue Reading Dominic Coyle   TOP BUSINESS STORIES Business Inside Intel: how America’s chip champion came back from the brink Business How to change career: Advice from three people who have done it Business BMC cashes in on Irish data centre expertise with €900m Kingspan deal Business Home builder Evara doubles turnover as output at Dublin residential projects rises Business Major ICG shareholders oppose €1.2bn management buyout as undervaluing group Olive Keogh Irish founders take aim at costly, bad marketing briefs MORE BUSINESS STORIES Business US inflation falls to 3.4% in July Business Revolut cuts back WeWork access for premium customers, including in Dublin Farming & Food Tirlán accused of sabotaging Irish butter exports with Costco deal Business Glen Dimplex revenue falls €82m amid weak heat-pump market Do you have questions about becoming an Irish Times subscriber, or about your subscription? You'll find handy guides in our FAQs, and you can manage many aspects of your subscription in the My Account section. Never miss a business story Subscribe now for just €1 for your first month SUBSCRIBE