Malta: Compliance

We are pleased to share the first edition of our Legal & Regulatory Updates for 2026, bringing together practical legal insight on key developments shaping Malta’s legal and business landscape.

On 5 January 2026, the OECD released long-awaited administrative guidance on the “Side-by-Side” system (SbS system) under the Pillar Two global minimum tax rules. The 88-page guidance package introduces four new safe harbours, extends the transitional Country-by-Country Reporting (CbCR) safe harbour and implements the SbS system agreed by the G7 and the US on 28 June 2025.

Malta has established itself as one of Europe's most reputable jurisdictions for international business, corporate structuring, and cross-border investment.

Through Legal Notice 188 of 2025, published on 2 September 2025, the Minister responsible for finance introduced the Final Income Tax Without Imputation Regulations...

In a surprising move on 22 October 2025, the European Parliament rejected the mandate for the proposed Omnibus Regulation, creating a pause in the EU's sustainability reform agenda.

The Maltese government issued Legal Notice 133 of 2025 to bring the Trusts and Trustees Act (Register of Beneficial Owners) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 into force on 11 July, which expand the scope of beneficial ownership reporting and tighten compliance requirements for trustees.

On 10 July 2025, amendments to the Companies Act (Register of Beneficial Owners) Regulations (the "Regulations") came into force through Legal Notice 127 of 2025.

Money laundering is the process whereby the proceeds of illegal activity are changed into seemingly legitimate funds. Sums of money are passed through various structures such as company structures, businesses, banks, and various other means, to obscure its origin.

On 21 April 2021, the European Commission adopted the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which entered into force in January 2023.