Bank of Ireland to Showcase AI and Sustainability Supports for Farmers at National Ploughing Championships

8 September 2026: Bank of Ireland will showcase a range of innovative supports for agricultural customers at this year’s National Ploughing Championships (NPA), including AI tools, sustainability-focused loans, and agri-sector expertise designed to help farms be more productive, resilient and future-ready.

In partnership with Google, up to 10,000 Google AI Professional Certificate scholarships are available to Bank of Ireland’s SME customers including farmers. Throughout the NPA event, Google representatives will be on hand at the Bank of Ireland stand to demonstrate how AI tools can help farming businesses improve efficiency, decision-making and productivity. In addition, real-time financial farming data will be used to highlight how AI can be utilised to empower and enhance on-farm efficiency.

To meet strong demand for sustainable practices in the farming sector, the Bank will showcase Enviroflex, its sustainability linked loan for farmers. A recent agricultural sector report by Bank of Ireland shows that investment in sustainability by farmers continues to grow, with funds used to install solar panels and increase slurry storage. This enables many to avail of the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme supports.

Bank of Ireland’s Agri and Business Banking teams will be available throughout the event to meet existing and prospective customers at Stand 212, Row 11, Block 4.

Eoin Lowry, Head of Agriculture at Bank of Ireland said: “Farming enterprises need accessible, user-friendly tools to build their AI capability and confidence. Through our partnership with Google, we are helping customers build confidence in AI by demonstrating how it can support everyday farm management and business decision-making.

The growth in farmers implementing sustainable practices and improvements is clear from our analysis of Enviroflex applications. Investing selectively in sustainability, and efficiency improvements ensures the farm is better protected and future proofed for the next generation of farmers.”

Bank of Ireland provides more than half of lending into the Agri and farming sector.

ENDS

Note to Editors

Bank of Ireland

cBank of Ireland is a diversified financial services group serving more than four million customers across Ireland, the UK, and the EU. Its services span consumer, business and corporate banking, wealth management, life and pensions, specialist finance, and asset finance and contract hire. The Group includes Davy, New Ireland Assurance, Northridge Finance and Marshall Leasing. Bank of Ireland operates a full‑service retail bank in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. In the UK, it provides mortgages through the intermediary market and is the largest provider of consumer foreign exchange through its partnership with the UK Post Office.

Google AI Professional Certificate

The Google AI professional certificate, delivered via the online platform Coursera, has been designed for busy SMEs. There is under 10 hours total learning commitment, delivered in manageable one-hour modules through a flexible, self-paced format hosted on Coursera. Learners complete 20 hands-on projects, leaving the course with a tangible, ready-to-use digital toolkit tailored to their specific business. The training introduces teams to new abilities such as “vibe coding”, the ability to build apps using simple conversational English rather than complex software code.

Participants will also receive three months’ extended access to Google AI Pro, supporting continued experimentation and adoption.