Fund managers eyeing Ireland face a clear message: preparation decides how fast you get through the door, according to law firm Zeidler.
In June 2026, the Central Bank of Ireland released the third edition of its Authorisations and Gatekeeping Report, covering activity across all regulated financial sectors in 2025. Zeidler’s review of the report highlights what it means in practice for managers seeking authorisation as regulated financial service providers or for investment funds.
The Central Bank oversees a broad universe of firms, from alternative investment fund managers and UCITS management companies to investment firms, and vets individuals for senior roles under the Fitness & Probity regime. Zeidler notes the regulator frames its approach as risk-based, proportionate and outcomes-focused, stressing that authorisation is a substantive test of whether an applicant can operate within a resilient Irish financial system, not a box-ticking exercise.
Timelines, the report makes clear, hinge on three things: the complexity of the business model, the completeness and quality of the submission, and how responsively applicants handle queries. Firms with credible business plans, sound governance and a transparent, proactive engagement style are far more likely to secure a swift and positive outcome, Zeidler explains.
The funds sector was a standout in 2025. Some 654 UCITS, 26 retail investor alternative investment funds and six retail ELTIFs were authorised, a 40% rise on 2024, while 281 qualifying investor AIFs and eight professional ELTIFs won approval, up 32% year on year. Average processing time for retail funds edged up to 91 calendar days from 88, with novel strategies, higher leverage and sustainability features attracting deeper scrutiny.
The regulator said that “openness and a willingness to reflect on our feedback” and a “clear articulation of the proposed business model and rationale for authorisation for specific activities or services” help to accelerate the authorisation process.
Zeidler also flags the Central Bank’s warnings against over-reliance on group-level governance, its focus on financial resilience and genuine substance in Ireland, and its finding that delayed IT build-outs, slow recruitment and late PCF questionnaires remain the main drags on timelines.
For firms entering the Irish market, Zeidler’s Fund Counsel service supports clients from initial engagement through to authorisation, ensuring applications land complete and aligned with the regulator’s expectations from day one.
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