The Malta Stock Exchange is one of Malta’s established and best respected players on the economic landscape. In fact, over the decades, it has built itself a robust reputation for assisting ambitious businesses to raise funds across the various markets it operates.
Over the past years, however, the organisation has gone through somewhat of a rebirth, as it has boldly ventured beyond its iconic Valletta premises, figuratively speaking, seeking to reach out to a wider audience. Under the stewardship of its Executive Chairman Mr Joseph Portelli, the Malta Stock Exchange has in fact enacted some of its most daring but also rewarding initiatives to date, and its future is looking brighter than ever.
“It has been an exhilarating ride,” says Mr Portelli right off the bat, as he settles down to describe his experience at the helm of the Malta Stock Exchange. “We have been busy changing the face of the organisation, making it more accessible and bringing it up to speed with international norms in the sector. It has certainly been fun, and we are extremely excited to continue growing in the future,” he claims.
“There’s no doubt that the Malta Stock Exchange has always enjoyed a sterling reputation, which it has built over the years since its establishment in 1992, based on solid regulation. The performance and growth of the companies listed on its markets only served to bolster this reputation, as one of Malta’s foremost players on the economic landscape. However, we felt that it was time for the organisation to step out of its comfort zone and better reflect the shifting economy of the country.”
Mr Portelli brings with him over 38 years of experience in the financial services industry as he held senior posts in the field, both in Malta as well as the United States. He has worked as portfolio manager, currency and futures trader, with some of the world’s leading financial institutions including the Bank of America, Nomura Securities, Goldman Sachs, Millburn Ridgefield, and Liongate Capital Management.
After serving on the board of the Malta Stock Exchange PLC between 2013 and 2015, he was appointed Executive Chairman in 2015. In his role, he has founded and continues to chair various MSE-owned subsidiaries such as the Malta Stock Exchange Institute amongst others.
“Today the Malta Stock Exchange boasts a complete portfolio of platforms available to ambitious businesses who wish to raise funds on the stock market, each suited for their specific requirements. Whereas till recently there was only the main market available which might not have been the best fit for everyone, we have devised another two platforms namely Prospects MTF and the Institutional Financial Securities Market (IFSM),” Mr Portelli explains.
Open to the smaller players, the Prospects MTF is a multilateral trading facility which provides a cost-effective opportunity for SMEs to raise capital by issuing bonds or equity. The Institutional Financial Securities Market or IFSM is the third Market available for Malta-based businesses, and it is specifically designed for institutional investors, with the minimum denomination of financial instruments quoted on it being €100,000.
“Locally, businesses traditionally seek to raise funds through bank loans without giving much of a consideration to listing. We wanted to change that, and we are happy to note that the culture is changing as more entrepreneurs are considering listing their companies on our platforms.”
But the establishment of more markets is not the only way The Malta Stock Exchange is determined to become a more relevant key player in the field.
“The Malta Stock Exchange holds excellent corporate governance in extreme high regard, both in its operation as well as in all its everyday communications. That is why we are busy organising the third edition of the Governance, Risk, Compliance and ESG Summit 2025 which will take place between the 13th and 14th March 2025 at the Hilton Malta,” Mr Portelli reveals.
Quickly establishing itself as one of the Malta’s landmark events, the summit has over its two past editions managed to attract an impressive line-up of speakers as well as the attendance of a growing audience who had glowing reviews for the event.
For the upcoming edition, the Malta Stock Exchange has managed to block no less than 84 speakers in its packed programme of events, ranging from the political realm, business, regulatory as well as the international stage.
“The summit compliments the host of initiatives we have set in motion to continue modernising our institution. The complete refurbishing of our iconic headquarters in Valletta, provides a warm welcome to our prospective businesses who visit us and would be considering to list with us. Our outward looking communications efforts, which are increasingly geared for a wider, 21st century audience, also continue building on our efforts to be more accessible and visible. We are determined to continue building on these efforts in our bid to reach out further,” Mr Portelli concludes.
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