At its Biennial Conference on 31st May, the Malta Institute of Accountants (MIA) will be spearheading discussions and sharing of knowledge on the implications of the new Financial Services Strategy recently launched by the MFSAC.

The event, which will take place at the Hilton is open to a broad range of stakeholders, including accountants, lawyers, other professionals working within financial services, such as bankers, insurers and asset management specialists, and business people.

“We want to continue building on the good which already exists in this field,” says Maria Cauchi Delia, the MIA’s CEO. Financial services, she emphasises, is a core source of growth within the Maltese economy.

Ms Cauchi Delia continues to say that the MIA’s decision to focus on the new Strategy was taken in consideration of its role as industry representative. “As part of our remit, we provide various recommendations to the authorities, working with government bodies, and, indeed, we are also represented on the MFSAC, so we were also involved in the drafting of this Strategy. The collaborative approach taken in developing this Strategy demonstrates the strong dedication of all stakeholders to maintaining Malta's position as a leader in financial services. The MIA is committed to support the industry and stands prepared to contribute throughout all phases of implementing the Strategy, as needed.”

Leading stakeholders in the industry, including the key regulators, will share their views during the Biennial Conference. “This Strategy needs to be seen together with other ongoing changes and the strategies of other public authorities, for example the MFSA, the MBR, the FIAU and the CFR, as, in a way, this is an umbrella set of recommendations bringing all these strands together,” Ms Cauchi Delia adds.

To this end, the Conference, in addition to including interventions by a veritable who’s-who of Malta’s financial sector, which include Clyde Caruana, the Minister for Finance and Employment, Jerome Caruana Cilia, the Shadow Minister for Finance, and the Commissioner for Revenue, Joseph Caruana, will include a session during which, the CEO of the MBR, Geraldine Spiteri Lucas, the Acting Director of the FIAU, Alfred Zammit and Michelle Mizzi Buontempo, Chief Officer - Enforcement at MFSA, will discuss how the individual strategy of their respective authority supports and contributes towards the MFSAC Strategy. The MFSAC Chairperson himself, Joseph Zammit Tabona, will also be providing his insights.

The panel discussions will focus on taxation, sustainability, emerging trends in FinTech, the national payments infrastructure, as well as a sectorial session on asset management, capital markets, insurance and pensions.

Ms Cauchi Delia says that the benefits of the Conference will be in how stakeholders manage to future-proof their businesses and operations. “Companies need to continue to do well, and there will be new opportunities, which are coming up on the horizon. The Conference will seek to highlight those chances, so businesses can also focus on enhancing their efficiency and take advantage of these openings,” she reiterates.

Despite a packed agenda, the Malta Institute of Accountants will also keep its social responsibility in consideration, as it will be raising funds for two non-profit organisations, Save and Support Trust and Beating Hearts Malta. Renowned local artists have gifted 37 paintings which are available against a donation. Orders or open donations can be placed here.

To register for the conference, or for more information, visit: https://www.miamalta.org/Biennial23