Committed to leading Malta’s financial services sector into a future defined by resilience, innovation and international trust, the MFSA seeks to be a catalyst for positive change. It advocates for smarter, more balanced regulation across the financial sector and holds an advisory role to Government in the formulation of policies on matters relating to the industry.

In the carrying out of its functions, the MFSA prioritises collaboration, efficiency and forward-thinking.

Vision: To be a leading, agile and forward-looking financial services regulator, contributing towards a strong and dynamic financial sector.

Values: Integrity, trustworthiness, dependability, excellence and independence.

A forward-looking regulator

The MFSA is proactively preparingforfuture opportunities and responsibilities by shifting to a more intelligent, risk-based and data driven supervision, as well as investing in technological transformation to meet the demands of an increasingly complex financial landscape.

Agile and responsive

Efficiency remains at the core of the MFSA’s strategy, with a philosophy of “more streamlined regulation, more effective outcomes”. It is committed to striking the optimal balance when it comes to minimising administrative burden and maintaining high standards. In this respect, the internal harmonisation of supervisory tools and workflows has provided greater clarity for authorised persons and the MFSA has worked closelywith the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU), the Malta Business Registry (MBR) and the Central Bank of Malta (CBM), to align compliance reporting and reduce regulatory burdens wherever possible.

Committed to Collaboration

The MFSA works closely with its peers and partners and contributes to a number of committees within the European Securities and Markets Authority and is a signatory of the international Organisation of Securities Commissions. Engagement with regulated entities, national competent authorities and industry associations has been strengthened through technical committees and bilateral meetings which encourage the open exchange of ideas and establishment of effective unified approaches across different sectors.

Financial Education

The MFSA has a skilled workforce and investing in people is an essential part of the authority’s commitment to build a future-ready organisation. Through the MFSA’s Financial Supervisors Academy (FSA), our team receives training on various topics, promoting a culture of continuous improvement and knowledge-sharing. We also collaborate with institutions such as the University of Malta to support skills development and ensure a strong future pipeline of talent. For example, through initiatives such as the University’s Centre for Distributed Ledger Technologies (CDLT) and the Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Regulation and Compliance.

Family Office Offering

Malta provides an attractive home for private investment. With a stable, transparent and comprehensive legal and regulatory environment, investors can benefit from the skilled, English-speaking workforce, the strategic location within the European Union, and an extensive network of double taxation treaties.

Within the context of Family Offices, the MFSA has recently recalibrated its regulatory frameworks with the aim of facilitating the structuring and operations of Single-Family Offices in Malta. These reforms include amendments to two key frameworks:

1. The Notified Professional Investor Funds (NPIF) framework -NPIFs are a special type of collective investment schemes targeting professional investors which are only subject to a 10 working day notification process. NPIFs can be managed by a fund manager, established in Malta, which is exempt from the requirements of an investment services license, subject to certain conditions being met such as an investment of a minimum EUR 5mn and investor must have aggregate net assets of EUR 50mn. This allows Family Office vehicles to invest private wealth without raising external capital
2. The Trustees of Family Trusts framework- Underthe Trustees framework relating to Family trusts, trustees who meet certain criteria on their activities do not need to seek full authorisation like professional trustees, instead, they must simply apply to Mfsa for registration. Moreover, the afore mentioned framework has been amended to update the definition of ‘family member/family dependent’ to encompass more contemporary circumstances surrounding family relations. This definition now also extends to cater for ‘family clients’ as potential beneficiaries, where the trust in question forms part of a Family Office structure investing in a NPIF. ’Family clients’ include [i] former family members; [ii] key employees; [iii] former key employees; [iv] non-profit or charitable organisations which are funded exclusively by one or more family member, family dependant or family client