Central Bank of Ireland
| Headquarters |
|
|---|---|
| Established | 1 February 1943 |
| Ownership | 100% state ownership |
| Governor | Gabriel Makhlouf (since September 2019) |
| Central bank of | Ireland |
| Reserves | 0.74 billion USD (2017) |
| Preceded by | Currency Commission (currency control) Bank of Ireland (Government's banker)1 |
| Website | centralbank |
| 1 Even after establishment of the Central Bank, the Bank of Ireland remained the government's banker until 1 January 1972. 2 The Central Bank of Ireland still exists but many functions have been taken over by the ECB. | |
The Central Bank of Ireland (Irish: Banc Ceannais na hÉireann) is the national central bank for Ireland within the Eurosystem. It was the Irish central bank from 1943 to 1998, issuing the Irish pound. It is also the country's main financial regulatory authority, and since 2014 has been Ireland's national competent authority within European Banking Supervision.
The Central Bank of Ireland was founded on 1 February 1943, succeeding the Currency Commission of Ireland, a currency board established in 1922. Since 1 January 1972, it has operated under the Central Bank Act 1971, which completed the transition from the strict post-independence currency peg to the pound sterling to a fully autonomous central bank.
Its head office, the Central Bank of Ireland building, was located on Dame Street, Dublin from 1979 until 2017. Its offices at Iveagh Court and College Green also closed down at the same time. Since March 2017, its headquarters are located on North Wall Quay, where the public may exchange non-current Irish coinage and currency (both pre- and post-decimalization) for Euros, as well as high value Euro banknotes and "mutilated" currency. It also operates from premises at nearby Spencer Dock. The Currency Centre (Irish Mint) at Sandyford is the currency manufacture, warehouse and distribution site of the bank.