Here’s how much cash we’re losing out on giving loans to our friends

Are you the friend who keep your purse strings tied tight at all times?

Or maybe you're the gal who buys the entire bar a round of shots at 10pm on a Thursday night when it's still three weeks from payday? If you're the latter, then you're probably a pretty generous person when you're not out on the town too. You probably lend your friends the odd bit of cash every now and then... and you're probably too nice to ask for it back. As it turns out, all those sneaky fivers do add up, and us Irish are actually losing out on a good chunk of cash every year simply by being sound. According to research commissioned by pay app Circle, Irish people are losing €260 per year due to lending money to friends and family. ... And not asking for it back. The data was conducted by Amarach and shows that one fifth of us give money away every month without asking for it back because we think it would be too awkward. In total, over €385 million was given via small loans to mates or family members in Ireland in the past six months alone. Almost €100 million of that was given in Dublin. 49 percent of those surveyed said that they would never take a small loan from a friend or family member. Almost 40 percent said that they would never provide the money either. Circle also found that the public figure people we are least likely to give a lend to is none other than Bono. The rationale behind this decision is yet to be confirmed.