Winners announced at FS Awards 2025, in association with KPMG

Pictured: Winners of the FS Awards 2025

Experts in financial services gathered yesterday, 23rd October, for the annual FS Awards. Hosted by Business & Finance, in association with KPMG, the event took place at The Mansion House, Dublin.

Attendees of the FS Awards gathered yesterday, 23rd October, to acknowledge high standards within the financial services sector. The event emphasised the contributions of leading figures in the field and the significant advancements made within the last year.

Tracey Carney of Carney Creatives hosted proceedings. “This year has seen a tighter regulatory environment and a greater emphasis on responsibility,” Carney noted.

“The focus is clear: stronger safeguards around digitalisation, transparency in client relationships, and accountability at senior levels. These developments have tested every organisation in the sector. What distinguishes those we celebrate today is how they’ve turned that test into advantage.”

Ian Nelson, Head of Financial Services, KPMG, spoke to attendees in an opening address. He said: “These awards are about more than individual success – they celebrate the collective progress of a thriving industry. Having been part of the judging panel, I can say every category was fiercely contested, reflecting the depth of talent and innovation across the sector.

“Over the past year, we’ve seen incredible resilience and adaptability as organisations embrace new technologies and navigate change. The FS landscape is transforming, driven by AI, digital solutions, fintech innovation, and evolving customer expectations, and it’s an exciting time to be part of this journey.”

Business for good

Owen Buckley from UNICEF Ireland, the Business & Finance ‘Business for Good’ partner, addressed attendees. He noted that Ireland’s financial services sector drives innovation that can inform UNICEF’s work for children.

“This sector is known for its relentless innovation – whether it’s harnessing AI for fraud detection, developing blockchain solutions for
transparency, or creating inclusive digital banking platforms. These advancements are not just reshaping economies; they offer powerful lessons for how humanitarian organisations like UNICEF can meet the needs of today and for future generations.”

Minister Jack Chambers TD introducing Philip Lane

Buckley cited UNICEF’s climate and disaster finance work as a prime example of this drive for innovation in practice. The Today & Tomorrow Initiative provides rapid funding through parametric insurance to support children affected by natural disasters. By April 2025, it had delivered over US$11 million to benefit nearly 700,000 people, mostly children, with strong collaboration from governments and private sector experts.

Buckley’s speech also stressed the growing importance of children’s rights within ESG and investment decisions. UNICEF is promoting Child-Lens Investing so investors can direct capital toward better outcomes for children while reducing harm. The organisation has also produced guidance for companies reporting under European Sustainability Reporting Standards.

The Padraig Ó hUiginn Award

Philip Lane was honoured with the Pádraig Ó hUiginn Award, which recognises an individual’s outstanding contribution to Financial Services, named after the late former Secretary General at the Department of the Taoiseach, who was a driving force in the creation of the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC).

Philip Lane has been a Member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank (ECB) since 2019. He is responsible for the Directorate General for Economics and the Directorate General for Monetary Policy.

Before joining the ECB, Lane was the Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland from 2015 to 2019. Additionally, he chaired both the Advisory Scientific Committee (ASC) in 2015, and the Advisory Technical Committee (ATC) of the European Systemic Risk Board from 2017 to 2019.

He is also Whately Professor of Political Economy and Director of the Institute for International Integration Studies at Trinity College Dublin. Furthermore, he was the Director of the International Macroeconomics and Finance Programme at the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR).

Philip Lane graduated from Trinity College Dublin before receiving a PhD in Economics from Harvard University in 1995. He was Assistant Professor of Economics and International Affairs at Columbia University from 1995 to 1997, before returning to Dublin.

In 2001, he was honoured as the first recipient of the Bernácer Prize for outstanding contributions to European monetary economics. In 2010, he was co-recipient of the Bhagwati Prize from the Journal of International Economics.

Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Services, Reform and Digitalisation, Jack Chambers TD, introduced Philip Lane to attendees.

Pictured (L-R): Ian Nelson (KPMG), Philip Lane and Ian Hyland (Business & Finance)

He said: “Your career reflects [Pádraig Ó hUiginn’s] commitment to the highest standards of financial services, and in keeping with with the traditions of this award, it speaks to a deep commitment to serving and measure of our people here in Ireland and indeed in Europe. We want to all congratulate you on a career of distinction and dedication to date. The work you do for Europe and for Ireland holds tremendous value.”

Upon accepting the award, Lane expressed gratitude, noting that previous recipients shaped Irish and European financial policy.

“Pádraig Ó hUiginn and the previous recipients of this award – John Bruton, Catherine Day and Michael Noonan – have all contributed to the development of Irish and European policy frameworks for the financial services sector,” he said.

Lane stressed that a strong financial services sector relies on robust public institutions, responsible public finances and effective regulation that protects stability and consumers.

Philip Lane addresses attendees

Regulation, Lane argued, must support innovation as finance becomes more digital: “The regulatory and supervisory system should neither deter new entrants nor inhibit the capacity of the financial services sector to innovate and roll out new technologies. In adapting to a rapidly-digitalising financial system, it is in the shared interest of regulators and financial services firms to make sure that this digital transition takes place without putting at risk the essential features of a well-regulated financial system.”

The European Central Bank is working to modernise central bank money through initiatives such as the digital euro and new arrangements to allow settlement of distributed ledger technology transactions in central bank money.

Lane’s speech also highlighted the urgent need for deeper European financial integration due to global geopolitical shifts. Completing the savings and investments union and banking union would boost efficiency, he said, and would give businesses better access to funding, help households invest more effectively and make Europe more attractive to global capital. This integration is also essential for major policy goals including the green transition and Europe’s defence capabilities.

The team from Revolut, who won the FS Challenger Award, Innovative Banking Product Award, and Grand Prix Award

Winners

A full list of FS Awards winners can be viewed below:

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