Dear Readers,

The past few months have seen preparations intensify for the 18th annual conference being organised by FinanceMalta in November – the culmination of work that started almost as soon as the last event was over. Its importance and relevance has grown over the years and we are once again expecting to break the records set last year with regard to attendance. We have once again been overwhelmed by the response from sponsors who appreciate the importance of being associated with the conference, as well as by the high-level speakers from various destinations who travel here to share their insight with us. We are deeply grateful to you all.

The topic of this year’s conference is ‘Redefining Finance: A Quality-Driven Future for Malta’, reflecting the enormous amount of work done to ease bottlenecks while at the same time shaping the jurisdiction’s future through legislation and regulation aimed at new niches such as aircraft finance leasing and family offices. These changes are mainly due to the focus provided through the consultation orchestrated by the Malta Financial Services Advisory Council [MFSAC], which resulted in a comprehensive plan of action now in its second year.
‍
There have been exciting developments that you can read about in this newsletter, such as the publication by the Malta Financial Services Authority of the first journal dedicated to international supervisory issues.

You can read all about the conference, the MFSAC and the Journal in this issue. But the newsletter also offers a lot more: find out more about what the Malta Business Registry has achieved – in particular with the thorough review of the Companies Act– as well as how the Malta Development Bank and Malta Government Venture Capital are contributing to the country’s ongoing economic evolution.

Another interview highlights the ongoing work to further strengthen Malta’s position as a destination for family offices, building on the presence already established locally.We, once again, are proud to showcase some of our members through Spotlights that explain what they do now and how they plan to make their mark in the future.

In the meantime, our efforts continue: through various initiatives, we have achieved breakthroughs in Japan - a jurisdiction where we anticipate stronger engagement.We have also maintained an impressive rhythm of networking through events, enabling our members to extend their reach into new markets. And last but by no means least, as the leaders of a task force on financial literacy, we continue to work with other stakeholders, mapping out initiatives and ensuring that the sterling work being done has maximum impact on every sector of society.

Dr. Bernice Buttigieg
Chief Strategy Officer
FinanceMalta