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5 NEWS 14.9.2023 Malta Development Bank unveils new website THE Malta Development has launched its newly designed website, accessible on www.mdb.org.mt. e revamped website offers a comprehensive plat- form highlighting the bank's various financial instruments and initiatives, catering to a wide array of beneficiaries including large and small enterprises, self-employed and students. e website serves as an interactive hub, presenting a range of initiatives aimed at fostering economic growth, supporting innovation, digitalisation and environmental sustainability. With an emphasis on user-friendliness and accessibility, visitors can easily navigate through the bank's offerings, gaining insights into how they can benefit from the available opportunities. "e launch of the new website marks a significant step forward in our com- mitment to facilitating the growth and development of diverse segments within our community," CEO Paul V Azzopardi said. He added that "From established businesses to aspiring en- trepreneurs and students, our schemes are designed to bridge market needs, particularly when traditional credit in- stitutions are unable to carry the risk of financing on their own. is is par- ticularly the case for investment in new and innovative economic niches which, at the same time, are fundamental for Malta's renewed growth." e platform not only showcases the latest developments and information but also acts as a valuable resource cen- tre, guiding users through the applica- tion processes and eligibility criteria for each scheme. Businesses in diverse economic sec- tors can stand to benefit from these opportunities. In less than six years of its existence, the MDB has supported more than 700 businesses which em- ploy some 40,000 persons, and more than 470 students, by facilitating over €600 million in favourable financing. FROM PAGE 1 In the overall Index, Malta lags behind Cyprus (31st), but surpasses Greece (39th). Overall, European countries lead the world in their digital quality of life, with Malta taking 23rd place in the region. "In many nations, 'digital quality of life' has merged into the broader concept of overall 'quality of life'. ere's no other way to look at it now that so many daily activities, including work, education, and leisure, are done online. at's why it's crucial to pinpoint the areas in which a nation's digital quality of life thrives and where attention is needed, which is the precise purpose of the DQL Index", Ga- briele Racaityte-Krasauske, Surfshark's spokeswoman, said. Surfshark is a cybersecurity company fo- cused on developing humanized privacy and security solutions. Its Surfshark One suite is recognized as the Independent's Editor's Choice for Best Value VPN 2023. Malta's internet quality is 17% higher than the global average Fixed internet averages 182 Mbps in Malta To put that into perspective, the world's fastest fixed internet — Singapore's — is 300 Mbps. Meanwhile, the slowest fixed internet in the world — Yemen's — is 11 Mbps. Mobile internet averages 96 Mbps e fastest mobile internet — the UAE's — is 310 Mbps, while the world's slowest mobile internet — Venezuela's — is 10 Mbps. Compared to Cyprus, Malta's mobile internet is 46% slower, while fixed broad- band is 120% faster. Since last year, mobile internet speed in Malta has improved by 44%, while fixed broadband speed has grown by 15%. Affordable internet Maltese have to work 1 hour 40 minutes a month to afford fixed broadband inter- net. While this is less than average, it is six times more than in Romania, which has the world's most affordable fixed internet (Romanians have to work 18 minutes a month to afford it). Maltese also have to work 1 hour 13 min- utes 45 seconds a month to afford mobile internet. is is five times more than in Luxembourg, which has the world's most affordable mobile internet (Luxembourg- ers have to work 16 minutes a month to afford it). 30th in the world in e-security e e-security pillar measures how well a country is prepared to counter cyber- crime, as well as how advanced a country's data protection laws are. In this pillar, Malta lags behind Cyprus (26th) and Greece (6th). Malta is prepared to fight against cybercrime, and since it is a member of the EU and subject to the GDPR, the country has excellent data pro- tection laws. e-infrastructure and e-government Advanced e-infrastructure makes it easy for people to use the internet for various daily activities, such as working, studying, shopping, etc. is pillar evaluates how high internet penetration is in a given country, as well as its network readiness (readiness to take advantage of Information and Communi- cation Technologies). Malta's internet penetration is high (100% — 1st in the world), and the coun- try ranks 29th in network readiness. e e-government pillar shows how ad- vanced a government's digital services are and the level of Artificial Intelligence (AI) readiness a country demonstrates. Malta's e-government is above the global average. Global affordibility Fixed internet is 11% more affordable than last year. On average, people have to work 42 minutes less a month to afford it. e Index also shows that mobile inter- net is 26% more affordable than last year: on average, people have to work 41 min- utes less to afford it. Malta's internet quality 17% higher than the global average

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