It has emerged that 11,500 people have invested a total of €255m in the National Solidarity Bond since it was launched in May.
Cork South Central TD Michael McGrath received the information following a parliamentary question to the Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan.
The bond pays an interest rate of 1% a year, with bonuses for those who leave the money in for five, seven and ten years. Any money invested in the bond is used to fund the Exchequer and is managed by the National Treasury Management Agency.
Danske is latest primary bond dealer
Meanwhile, the NTMA that Danske Bank has become a primary dealer in Irish Government bonds.
The NTMA said it is confident that the Irish bond market will benefit significantly from the strong presence which Danske Bank has in other European bond markets.
It added that the addition of Danske Bank will add to the depth and liquidity of the market and further enhance the profile of Irish Government bonds for investors.
There are now 16 primary dealers of Irish bonds. They are Barclays Capital in London, BNP Paribas in London, Credit Agricole in London, Citigroup Global Markets in London, Danske Bank in Copenhagen, Davy Stockbrokers in Dublin, Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt and London, Goldman Sachs International in London, HSBC in Paris, ING Bank in Amsterdam, JP Morgan in London, Merrill Lynch in London, Nomura International in London, Royal Bank of Scotland in London, Société Générale in Paris and UBS in London.
The primary dealers bid in competitive auctions of Irish Government bonds and make a two-way market in the bonds at all times.
