Nearly half of businesses in Ireland say the threat of Brexit is having a negative impact on their business, according to a new survey.
The research also found that almost two weeks after Brexit was originally supposed to have taken place, just two-thirds of firms here have begun planning for it.
AIB's Brexit Sentiment Index is based on detailed phone interviews conducted by IPSOS MRBI among 500 small and medium sized businesses in the Republic of Ireland and 200 in Northern Ireland.
It found sentiment among firms here during the first three months of the year to be at the lowest level since the study began almost two year ago.
46% of all businesses are experiencing a negative impact as a result of the possibility of Brexit taking place, while 53% of small firms that had planned to invest in their business said they are now reviewing, postponing or cancelling their plans.
Of biggest concern though, is that with the original deadline for Brexit to be completed now passed, only 64% of businesses say they have actually begun planning for it or investigating its implications, with the figure even lower among companies in Northern Ireland.
The tourism, food and drink and retail sectors are the ones most impacted so far according to the findings.
Nearly a quarter of businesses reported that Brexit has had a negative impact on sales, double the level measured in September 2017.
The three main concerns among businesses in the event of a hard Brexit, according to AIB, are that trade with the UK would be less profitable, Irish customers would spend less and there would be a wider economic downturn in Europe.
