The sale of taxpayers’ last shares in AIB last summer meant the Government scrapped the final bailout-era basic pay caps across Irish banks. A subsequent clampdown prompted the rise of the no-strings-attached fixed pay allowance, which, in practice, is most commonly paid out by way of company shares. It will bring O’Grady’s fixed pay package to almost €2 million in 2026, the first full year in which the share awards have maxed out. And that it is “significantly below” the maximum pay among the peer group that has bonus plans. Here, too, the hands of board members of Irish banks are tied.

Source: The Irish Times March 07, 2026 12:02 UTC