First ever fully digital, app-based pension

13:28, 04 Feb 2026Updated 13:28, 04 Feb 2026

Ailish Dooley, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Zen Pensions, and Conor O’Neill, Co-Founder and Chair of Zen Pensions.

These are changing times for pensions in Ireland – with the Government’s auto-enrollment scheme having just gone live – and the focus very much on more user-friendly plans for younger workers in particular.

And one new start-up with strong Cork links is pioneering the biggest leap forward in personal pensions in decades, ditching the mountains of paperwork to deliver the first ever fully digital, app-based pension for employers and individuals.

Promising ‘digital pensions for everyone’ Zen Pensions are promising flexible plans with zero setup costs and zero paperwork, reducing set-up times to minutes (or at least an hour) as opposed to days or weeks.

And its fully compatible with the new auto-enrollment requirements, employers can meet the requirements by providing a Zen Pensions PRSA account to employees, with no fees and no costs to the employer, other than their contributions

Employee charges are transparent, shown clearly in the app and Zen say they are are much lower than those charged by many traditional providers.

The new fintech company has been founded by UCC graduate and long-term financial sector executive Ailish Dooley, along with Conor O’Neill, Richard Skinner and Corkman Daire O’Brien. They have just launched with a strategic partnership with the long-established, Galway-based insurer, Acorn Life DAC.

It offers all the benefits of existing pensions without any of the bureaucracy. It also makes it simple for the “pot to follow the member”, meaning members remain in control of their pension and can easily take it with them when changing jobs, without any input needed from their former employer.

Employees will be able to choose their pension plans, benefit from marginal tax relief (up to 40%) and access their retirement savings from age 50, if retiring from employment. This compares favourably to auto-enrolment where employees will have limited choices, fixed contribution rates, a 25% tax relief equivalent and cannot access their pension until they are 66.

Zen Pensions has raised over €1.7m in funding, including €300,000 from Enterprise Ireland (EI), and is part of EI’s High Potential Start-Up (HPSU) programme.

Ailish Dooley, Chief Executive Officer of Zen Pensions, said: “We are excited to launch Zen Pensions in Ireland. We are a fintech startup and we are seeking to disrupt the market by offering a fully digital pension and far more convenient service that involves zero setup costs for employers and much lower and far more transparent fees for employees. The pension industry has been the same for years and customers have had to put up with a clunky, confusing, bureaucratic and overly expensive service. We are turning this model on its head and using our unique and innovative technology to make life easier for employers and to empower pension savers.”

“Employers can use our system at no cost other than the contributions they wish to make on behalf of their employees. Employees can easily sign up via the app and will have control of their own pension. This means they will enjoy the flexibility they need and deserve while paying far lower costs than those currently charged by existing personal pension providers. It’s a win-win for all involved.”