This section details the principal banking-related bills and general schemes moving through the legislative process in 2025.

Central Bank (Amendment) Bill

Published in February 2025, the Central Bank (Amendment) Bill 2025 (the Bill) will introduce a statutory “Right to be Forgotten” for cancer survivors. This will transform the existing voluntary protections into binding law and ensure equality in access to financial products. It marks a major shift in how medical history can be treated in financial underwriting.

The two main features of the Bill are as follows:

1. Financial service providers, including insurance and assurance providers, may not discriminate against a person on health grounds based on a cancer diagnosis if the person is five years post-treatment at the date the request for financial services or insurance is made.
2. A survivor of cancer (five years post-treatment) will not be obliged to disclose their diagnosis when accessing certain financial services or insurance.

The Bill also elevates existing protections (that currently exist in a voluntary industry code) into enforceable legal requirements. As part of this transition from voluntary to statutory obligation, the CBI will have authority to regulate, supervise and sanction providers who fail to comply.

The Bill will align Ireland with EU insurance regulatory standards (e.g. the Solvency II Directive), while balancing an insurer’s risk management obligations. In addition, the Bill provides for the establishment of oversight structures, enforcement tools, and an appeals or dispute resolution mechanism for individuals.

While it was introduced as a Private Member’s Bill, the Bill enjoys Government support. It completed Second Stage in the Dáil in July 2025 and was referred for Committee Stage consideration on 19 November 2025.

Microenterprise Loan Fund Bill

The Microenterprise Loan Fund (Amendment) Bill 2024 (the MFI Bill) will restructure the governance and ownership of Microfinance Ireland (MFI) by transferring control of MFI from the Social Finance Foundation to the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (the Minister for Enterprise). The aim of the transfer is to stabilise the microfinance sector by reconstituting MFI under direct ministerial oversight.

Through amendments to the Microenterprise Loan Fund Act 2012, the MFI Bill will vest the share capital and associated assets and liabilities of MFI with the Minister for Enterprise, while simultaneously preserving operational continuity and existing contractual relations. It will also implement a new governance structure (board of directors and chief executive), and superannuation arrangements for staff. If enacted, the MFI Bill will create a more predictable and transparent structure for microenterprise lending with the benefit of direct State accountability.

The MFI Bill passed through the Dáil without amendment in September 2024. Following the General Election, it was restored to the Order Paper in February 2025, but has not yet been considered by the Seanad.

Credit Review Bill

The Credit Review Bill 2024 (the 2024 Bill) will give permanent statutory underpinning to the existing Credit Review Service (the Service), which was established in 2010 under the National Asset Management Agency Act 2009 to review declined credit applications for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and farms. The aim of this codification is to increase legal certainty, fairness, transparency and reliability for an SME seeking credit.

The 2024 Bill will provide for the appointment of a Credit Reviewer and staff. It will also require participating credit institutions to furnish internal documents (including reasons for refusal and related documents), and it will empower the Credit Reviewer to issue binding or recommended decisions, as well as providing for an appeals process. Pursuant to the 2024 Bill, the Service will become known as “An tSeirbhís um Athbhreithniú Creidmheasa”.

The 2024 Bill was introduced in the Dáil in October 2024 and awaiting Committee Stage at the time of the General Election. It was restored to the Order Paper in February 2025 and most recently completed Committee Stage in the Dáil on 26 November 2025, where it was amended.

IBRC/NAMA

The General Scheme of the Conclusion of IBRC Special Liquidation and Dissolution of NAMA Bill (the Scheme) was published in July 2024. It will provide for the final liquidation of the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC) and the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA). Once complete, a resolution unit, set up within the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA), is expected to take over management of the residual functions and liabilities of both entities from 2026 onwards. While it was originally envisaged that NAMA would first undertake these residual functions, before transferring any outstanding activity to the NTMA, this approach has now been altered to transfer residual activity directly to the NTMA.

To operationalise the above, the Scheme proposes a number of amendments and repeals across the relevant statutes (i.e. the IBRC Act 2013 and the NAMA Act 2009). It will also ensure the continuity of existing contracts by deeming them to be automatically assigned. This Scheme aligns with NAMA’s strategic plan and aims to reduce State overhead while preserving legacy management capacity.

The General Scheme was approved in July 2024, and the legislation has been listed for priority publication this term in the Government’s Autumn 2025 Legislation Programme.

Limited partnerships and business names

The General Scheme of the Registration of Limited Partnerships and Business Names Bill 2024 (the General Scheme of the LP Bill) proposes the complete overhaul of the Limited Partnership Act 1907 and the Registration of Business Names Act 1963. The intention is to replace these acts with a modern and transparent registration regime.

If enacted, this new legislation will:

• introduce a five‑year re‑registration cycle, with obligations to verify the identity of all partners and registrants, along with a beneficial ownership register for non‑EEA partners
• require limited partnerships (LPs) to maintain a principal place of business in Ireland and to carry on economic activity domestically
• require LPs to have at least one EEA‑resident general partner
• empower the registrar with enhanced enforcement tools analogous to company law systems.

Existing LPs/business names will be subject to a notice and re-registration window; the Registrar may issue notices within 30 months of commencement, after which entities will have 12 months to comply or risk removal.

The General Scheme of the LP Bill also mandates timely notification (within 14 days) of changes, naming conventions (e.g. “Limited Partnership” or “LP”), and aligns registration of business names with modern practice (including renewal, removal, and service of notices). The General Scheme’s objectives are to strengthen regulatory integrity, increase transparency, and respond to international standards against misuse of shell entities.

The General Scheme was approved in July 2024, and further progress is awaited.