Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1103271
11.04.19 6 INNOVATION A delegation comprising 60 representatives from Mal- ta-based companies and Maltese agencies was in Sin- gapore on Monday, where it took an active part in a business forum as well as in a business-to-business net- working session. Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion Car- melo Abela led the mission, which took place right after another one to South Korea, headed by the Parliamentary Secretary for Financial Ser- vices, Digital Economy, and Innovation, Silvio Schembri. Both sector-focused mis- sions were aimed at promot- ing commercial opportunities in virtual currencies and in- novative technologies, cyber- security, digital games and e-sports, and were organised by Trade Malta and the Min- istry for Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion, in collabo- ration with the Parliamentary Secretariat for Financial Ser- vices, Digital Economy and Innovation, and the Malta Chamber of Commerce, En- terprise, and Industry. At the Business Forum, a Memorandum of Under- standing for cooperation in the field of emerging technol- ogies and cybersecurity was signed by Schembri on behalf of Malta, and Senior Minis- ter of State at the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Communications and In- formation, Janil Puthucheary, on behalf of Singapore, in the presence of Minister Carmelo Abela. Schembri had already vis- ited Singapore in September 2018, when he held talks with the Senior Minister of State Puthucheary. Discussions between the two sides have continued ever since. "It is an honour to see both countries ready to strengthen and develop their relationship through a Memorandum of Understanding," Schembri said. "We look forward to shar- ing our internationally-rec- ognised achievements in the blockchain, innovative technologies, and AI sectors based on the credibility and positive reputation to doing business." On his part, Minister Abela said that the Maltese econo- my offered international en- trepreneurs and stakeholders a myriad of opportunities in- cluding, following recent de- velopments, in the blockchain and distributed ledger tech- nologies sector. He described the Business Forum as the most recent of a succession of initiatives that attest to the longstanding ties between Malta and Singa- pore, which have grown from strength to strength since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1988. "Malta and Singapore may be geographically distant, but we are united by our similari- ties," he said. "We are both island States with small domestic markets and an important export sec- tor. Being a strategic regional gateway, Malta can be used as a platform to European and North African markets. On the other hand, Singapore is increasingly assuming the role of a strategic gateway to 60-strong Maltese business mission Malta and Singapore sign Memorandum of Understanding for bilateral cooperation in the field of emerging technologies and cybersecurity PAUL COCKS