Dublin, 10 February 2026
Transparency International (TI) Ireland has called on the Government to strengthen transparency and oversight across political finance, corporate and financial services regulation following the publication of the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2025.
Ireland scored 76 out of 100 in this year’s index, maintaining a comparatively strong international reputation for controlling public-sector corruption. The CPI ranks 182 countries and territories according to perceived levels of corruption using a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).
Despite Ireland’s continued strong performance, TI Ireland warned that the State remains exposed to emerging corruption risks that receive less public attention but may have significant long-term consequences.
Launching the CPI in Ireland, John Devitt, Chief Executive of TI Ireland, said:
“Ireland continues to perform relatively well compared with many countries on the index, but the absence of daily headlines about corruption does not mean the risks have disappeared.
Corruption and illicit financial flows through Dublin pose threats to social cohesion, as well as economic integrity and democratic resilience. This has always been the case, but is especially so given recent political developments on both sides of the Atlantic and corresponding rise of anti-democratic forces across Europe. It’s important that this be considered a threat to national security and be addressed in any future national security strategy”, Mr Devitt added.
Global trends underline need for vigilance
The CPI 2025 shows that most countries are still failing to control corruption. The global average score has fallen to 42 out of 100, and 122 of the 182 countries assessed score below 50, indicating serious corruption problems across much of the world.
The index also highlights a growing trend in which weakening democratic checks and balances, opaque political finance and restrictions on civic space are associated with worsening corruption outcomes.
TI Ireland said these findings reinforce the importance of maintaining strong oversight institutions and effective enforcement of ethics and integrity standards at home.
Ireland’s exposure to illicit finance and influence
TI Ireland warned that Ireland’s role as a major international financial centre, combined with gaps in transparency around corporate ownership and lobbying finance, increases the risk that illicit funds or undisclosed political influence could pass through the State.
“Ireland’s open economy and globally significant financial services sector make it attractive for legitimate investment, but also create opportunities for organised crime and hostile state actors where transparency and oversight are weak,” TI Ireland’s Head of Policy and Research, Dr Alexander Chance said.
TI Ireland have also reiterated concerns that restrictions on public access to beneficial ownership information have made it more difficult for investigative journalists, academics and civil society organisations to identify corruption risks and trace illicit financial flows.
“The Government’s decision to effectively deny media and civil society access to Ireland’s Beneficial Ownership registers in 2023 has prevented them from investigating money laundering through Irish-registered companies and other structures. We are calling on the Government to provide genuine access to journalists and civil society to the registers without further delay, as mandated by the EU’s latest anti-money laundering Directive”, Dr Chance added.
Political integrity reforms remain unfinished
While Ireland has relatively strong statutory limits on political donations, TI Ireland has also noted that monitoring capacity remains limited and loopholes persist, including the potential for multiple undisclosed donations below disclosure thresholds and the use of undisclosed lobbying income to unduly influence decision-making.
TI Ireland called on Government to prioritise:
- Enacting reforms of the Ethics Acts, as promised by this and previous governments
- Strengthening enforcement of political finance rules
- Increasing transparency around lobbying funding sources
- Restoring effective access to corporate ownership information for public-interest scrutiny
- Developing a comprehensive, whole-of-government approach to national security that addresses the risk of corruption and threats to democratic norms.
“Protecting Ireland’s democratic institutions and economic stability demands that political leaders prioritise efforts to promote transparency and accountability in politics and government,” Mr Devitt added.
Notes to Editors
TI Ireland is currently involved in two Transparency International projects – SECURE and STEP-EU – which focus on tackling corruption and associated money laundering across Europe, including through the assessment and mapping of current and emerging corruption risks. These projects are supported by the EU’s Internal Security Fund.
26.02_CPI 2025 report - English
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John Devitt and Alexander Chance