This extract comprises the definitional and interpretive provisions of the Act. It specifies cross‑references to other Acts (Sale of Goods and Supply of Services Act 1980; Central Bank Act 1997; Consumer Rights Act 2022; Gambling Regulation Act 2024) and defines transactional and regulatory terms including advertisement, agreement, APR, Bank (Central Bank of Ireland), borrower, buyer, consumer (natural person outside business or persons declared by the Minister), business, company, undertaking, credit, credit agreement, credit card, credit institution (enumerated list), credit intermediary, retail credit firm, credit‑sale agreement, creditor, running account, total cost of credit, and high cost credit and its exclusions.

It further defines hire‑purchase, consumer‑hire, hirer, owner, guarantor, commercial guarantee, goods (and goods with digital elements), digital content and digital service (as per the Consumer Rights Act 2022), producer, mortgage, mortgage lender, mortgage intermediary, housing loan, pawnbroker, premises, installation charge, record and relevant date. Interpretive rules cover assignment of rights, internal cross‑references, incorporation of terms, adoption of meanings from the Council Directive and the obligation on courts to give effect to it, enactments as amended, the Minister for Finance’s power to declare consumers, and an objective test for “reasonable expectation” in Part VI.