Part of a wider global expansion, the new Irish jobs at Planet will range from roles in tech and finance to product development.
Planet, the Galway-based fintech company, is creating 100 new jobs in Ireland as part of a global expansion over the coming months that includes 500 new jobs across its international operations.
The new roles in Ireland will be spread across Galway, Kilkenny and Dublin, and include hybrid and remote jobs in a range of fields such as product development, technology and finance.
Founded in 1985 as Cashback, Planet is now a digital payments platform for services including acquiring, processing, digital wallets and currency conversion. It has clients in retail, hospitality, parking and financial services.
The new jobs announcement comes less than a year after Planet secured investment from private equity firm Advent International, in a deal that saw the company’s valuation shoot up to €1.8bn.
In June 2020, Planet acquired Luxembourg company 3C Payment in a bid to fuel its growth. The merger saw Planet double the value of the transactions its processes annually to €45bn.
Today, Planet manages in excess of 800m transactions annually to the value of more than €50bn.
Good news for Galway
Minister of State at the Department of Transport Hildegarde Naughton, TD, hailed the jobs announcement as “great news for the city of Galway”, where the company has been based since its inception and where many of the new jobs will be created.
“We expect these 100 new jobs will have a great impact on the city and further excel Galway’s reputation as a great city for business and innovation,” she said.
Planet has a special connection with the city as its founders, Aidan Daly, Jim Ward and Gerry Barry, worked on starting the company together at NUI Galway. Many of the company’s core group functions, including product development, HR, treasury, finance and marketing, are based in its Galway headquarters.
Over the years, Planet has bagged some major clients in the hospitality and retail industries, including the Radisson, Hilton and Marriott hotel groups as well as Gucci, Armani and Hugo Boss.
Peter Daly, president of retail at Planet, expressed his delight at the global team expansion and said that he is “proud that our teams in Ireland will continue to be driving force developing the most innovative solutions for merchants globally”.
The company is currently advertising many roles on its website, including dozens of tech jobs in Ireland.
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