Malta: Financial Services

The Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCAR) introduces comprehensive requirements for crypto-asset service providers to identify, prevent, manage, and disclose conflicts of interest. Drawing from established MiFID II principles while adapting to the unique characteristics of digital assets, Article 72 of MiCAR establishes a robust framework that addresses conflicts between service providers and clients, among clients themselves, and within organizational structures, requiring effective policies, transpa

WH Partners has submitted formal feedback to the Malta Financial Services Authority on its consultation document proposing new Rules for Notified Aircraft Financial Leasing Companies and Related Due Diligence Service Providers. The submission addresses key areas including eligibility thresholds, scope and interaction with other licences, AML obligations, and removal from the list and restructurings.

FinanceMalta's third quarterly newsletter for 2026 explores the jurisdiction's strategic initiatives to strengthen its position in global financial services markets, including plans for a New York event and the development of specialized frameworks for aviation finance. The publication examines Malta's evolving regulatory landscape, tax incentive frameworks, and preparations for the upcoming annual conference themed "Financing the Next Generation Economy."

The Malta Financial Services Authority has issued new guidance to credit institutions outlining supervisory expectations for dividend distributions, emphasizing prudent capital planning and financial resilience. While not introducing new regulatory requirements, the circular formalizes current supervisory practices and provides detailed documentation requirements for banks proposing distributions at both institutional and holding company levels.

Malta's Permanent Representative to the EU, Neil Kerr, examines how the proposed Savings and Investments Union differs from the Capital Markets Union and explores its potential impact on Malta's high household savings rate. The discussion addresses whether this EU initiative can effectively channel Malta's substantial savings into more productive investments while respecting national competencies and market proportionality.

Malta's Financial Services Authority has dramatically expanded its supervisory capabilities, growing its workforce by 160% and increasing supervisory engagements by 350%. An academic paper examines how the regulator's innovative outcomes-based approach, particularly through 'Dear CEO' letters and structured industry outreach, achieves market-wide behavioral change without resource-intensive individual inspections of every licensed entity.

The Strategic Plan for 2023-2025 That that we launched in April 2023 laid out on the way in which we deliver transformation. The objectives were very clear but at that time, the work needed seemed insurmountable.

Malta's financial services sector has evolved into a sophisticated ecosystem, but what truly distinguishes it from other jurisdictions? The Malta Financial Services Authority's strategic approach to regulation...

Malta's financial regulator has issued two significant circulars that reshape how payment and e-money institutions safeguard client funds and how firms report regulatory data.