Malta: Financial Services

FinXP and Buckzy Payments have formed a strategic partnership to enhance cross-border payment capabilities for internationally-active businesses. The collaboration combines FinXP's regulated European infrastructure with Buckzy's real-time international payment network and stablecoin technology. This integration aims to streamline European account management, SEPA payments, and global payment operations while reducing operational complexity for clients of both platforms.

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...

Payment Institutions offering crypto-related services face a complex new regulatory landscape under MiCAR, requiring separate authorisation beyond their existing licences. The framework introduces substantial compliance obligations spanning conduct rules, disclosure requirements, and capital adequacy standards, while imposing multi-layered costs that can reach tens of thousands of euros annually. Understanding whether the commercial benefits justify these regulatory burdens has become a critical strategic q

The European Union is advancing toward the establishment of a digital euro, a central bank digital currency designed to complement physical cash while preserving privacy and ensuring universal payment access. With the European Parliament backing the initiative and the Council setting a 2029 issuance target, the proposed regulation introduces legal tender status, holding limits, and dual online-offline functionality that must harmonize with upcoming payment services legislation. As trilogue negotiations prog

The European Supervisory Authorities have released their first annual report examining major ICT-related incidents under DORA, revealing 3,383 incidents across EU financial entities in 2025. What patterns emerged regarding system failures, third-party dependencies, and cross-border impacts, and what do these findings reveal about operational resilience in an increasingly interconnected financial sector?

The Civil Court, First Hall (Constitutional Jurisdiction), in the judgment Phoenix Payments Limited (now Lazarus Long Limited) v the Malta Financial Services Authority and the State Advocate...

The EU AI Act has now been promulgated as Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 with a staggered implementation timeline through August 2027. This comprehensive analysis revisits six previous briefings...

Malta's anti-money laundering framework faces its most significant transformation as the EU Anti-Money Laundering Regulation becomes directly applicable on 10 July 2027, replacing the current directive-based system with a unified Single Rulebook.