Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1289033
2 NEWS 17.09.2020 THE concept of investing in a portfolio of infrastructure companies, as a means to provide sustainable income and drive global sustainable growth, is the theme of the next MeDirect webinar, which will be held on the 24th September 2020 at 18.00hrs. is is the second medirectalk of its kind to be held online, given the cur- rent situation and the necessary social distancing requirements. It follows the highly successful first online medirec- talk held earlier this year, on the current financial markets' environment and the effect of the pandemic on investment decisions. medirectalk is a series of seminars or- ganised by MeDirect, featuring several financial experts and asset managers sharing their views on market and in- vestment opportunities. e upcoming medirectalk is organ- ised by MeDirect Bank, together with leading global fund house Franklin Templeton Investments. e webinar will kick off with an overview by David Chambers, Business Development Di- rector, followed by Ajay Dayal, who will be delivering a keynote speech. Dayal is the Managing Director and Head of International Equity, Product Special- ist Group, Legg Mason – a division of Franklin Templeton. He will be focussing on the reasons why infrastructure is deemed to be the critical life blood of the world, and why it is a mega-trend that will shape our children's lives over decades. More infrastructure spending is being com- mitted to by the big nations, as they continue to develop. Clearly, such infra- structure projects require funding. Dayal will also be delving into Envi- ronment, Social and Governance (ESG) aspects to investing, arguing that ESG is here to stay, and that stakeholders need to understand how government policy makers and investors think in terms of making future investments. He will cover the benefits of infra- structure and how investors can access infrastructure assets. Dayal will explain why a smart portfolio of infrastructure stocks can provide an investor with a stable, sustainable and attractive in- come, as well as capital growth. At the end of the webinar, an overview of the Legg Mason ClearBridge Infra- structure Value Fund will be given. Ajay Dayal joined in 2008 as an Invest- ment Director in the Product Specialist Group of Legg Mason. As the senior product specialist of the company's in- ternational equity, multi-asset and liq- uid alternatives equity-based products, he works closely with multiple Special- ist Investment Managers within Frank- lin Templeton, to articulate and shape their investment solutions and acceler- ate the sales process. He has 20 years of investment experi- ence, of which over a dozen years of in- depth experience meeting and engaging with clients around the world, as well as across multiple distribution channels, including wealth and advisory, quasi institutional and pensions. He has rep- resented the company at conferences, and through different media channels and forums – printed articles, recorded events and live TV broadcasts. In order to register for the medirec- talk, as well as to view past events visit: https://www.medirect.com.mt/invest/ medirectalk Investment in infrastructure assets and the importance of ESG to be discussed during a MeDirect webinar MeDirect's upcoming webinar will discuss infrastructure and the impact it has on our daily lives and on sustainable growth BANK of Valletta had from the very be- ginning immediately responded to the economic strain brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and was at the forefront in assisting the business com- munity to surmount these unprecedent- ed challenges. "Bank of Valletta pledged from the very start its commitment to help business- es to go through these unprecedented times and immediately launched a num- ber of supportive measures," stated Al- bert Frendo, Chief Credit Officer at Bank of Valletta. "One of the leading initiatives that left a significant impact on the econ- omy was the BOV-MDB COVID Assist. rough our strong partnership with the Malta Development Bank, by end August, we had already approved over €192 million to more than 265 business entities directed towards their liquidity needs." "We are proud to be the main drivers of the scheme and from its launch till June, 80% of the total facilities approved under the MDB COVID-19 Guarantee Scheme were underwritten by Bank of Valletta. As Malta's leading Bank, we are yet again providing the most tangible and key aid to the business community and contrib- uting strongly towards the path to recov- ery of the Maltese economy." Apart from supporting businesses through financing, the Bank provides guidance on sound financial manage- ment and debt levels always encouraging businesses to seek the right leverage bal- ance. "Securing funding to provide the necessary liquidity is critical, more so during these times. However one must be cognizant that what is borrowed to- day, needs to be repaid from income generation and profit margins of tomor- row hence prudence in these times is a key requisite," explained the BOV Chief Credit Officer. "While the future outlook is still un- certain, what remains clear is that busi- nesses will require short-term liquidity, sound financing and the right strategies to recover and thrive. We will continue to support the revival of our economy by making immediate liquidity funding ac- cessible to local businesses," concluded Frendo. e BOV-MDB COVID Assist pro- vides funds at highly subsidised interest rates, reduced collateral requirements and a moratorium on capital and interest repayments so that business operators can meet working capital requirements, running costs and expenses. It benefits from the support of the MDB COV- ID-19 Guarantee Scheme. Businesses seeking to avail themselves of the BOV-MDB COVID Assist are to send an email to smefinance@bov.com, or if they are BOV customers to their Re- lationship Manager, Business Centre or Corporate Centre. Further information can be found on https://www.bov.com/ content/bov-mdb-covid19-assist. €192 million financing to businesses through the BOV-MDB COVID Assist