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BUSINESS TODAY 28 September 2023

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2 NEWS 28.9.2023 Catena Media share buybacks executed from 18 to 22 September CATENA Media plc has repurchased 71,230 of its own ordinary shares (ISIN code: MT0001000109) as part of its share buyback programme. e buyback programme was au- thorised by shareholders at an ex- traordinary general meeting on 12 July 2023 and initiated and an- nounced by the board of directors on 17 July 2023. e programme is being carried out in accordance with the EU Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 ("MAR") and the Commission Del- egated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052 (the "Safe Harbour Regulation"). Its purpose is to deliver shareholder value and optimise the capital struc- ture by reducing the company's share capital through subsequent cancella- tion of repurchased shares. All share repurchases were carried out on Nasdaq Stockholm by Carne- gie Investment Bank AB on behalf of Catena Media. Carnegie makes its trading deci- sions concerning the timing of the share buybacks independently of Catena Media. e company's holdings of its own shares on 22 September 2023 was 2,751,709 ordinary shares. e to- tal number of outstanding shares is 78,773,274. Malta Properties appoints new director and chairman MALTA Properties Company p.l.c. has announced the appointment of Nasser Al Awadhi - residing in Du- bai, United Arab Emirates - as Direc- tor and Chairman of the company with immediate effect. He will replace Sayed Mohamed Mohamed Noor Sharaf, who re- signed from his position. Al Awadhi serves as Chief Busi- ness Transformation Officer and is responsible for leading transfor- mational projects and programmes across Dubai Holding and its verti- cals as well as overseeing the Dubai Holding Centre of Excellence. He has been with the Group for more than 13 years and is a member of Dubai Holding's Executive Man- agement Committee. He brings great expertise with his 25 years of experi- ence and several board memberships. He holds a Bachelor's in Business Administration from the Universi- ty of South Carolina, USA and is a graduate of INSEAD's International Directors Programme. eCabs Technologies platform chosen by Romania's largest mobility operator KARL AZZOPARDI AUTONOM Drive, the largest mobil- ity operator in the Romanian market has selected the eCabs Technologies platform to launch Blue, a new ride hailing service in Bucharest, Romania. is is the third territory in which the eCabs ride-hailing platform has been deployed, serving as the backbone for local transport businesses to launch their app-based ride hailing service un- der their own brand. "Powered by the eCabs ride-hailing technology platform, Blue is poised to disrupt the Romanian ride-hailing market, providing a seamless online ride-hailing solution for riders as well as safe and flexible work for drivers," a company statemnent read. Blue is launching its service with a fleet of the latest Tesla Models 3 and Y and will soon be available for download on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. e use of eCabs technology in Bu- charest, follows the launch of Taxi. gr app in Athens, Greece earlier this month. With a fleet of over 12,000 vehicles and a workforce exceeding 600, Au- tonom Drive is a leading corporate in the mobility industry, operating in over 33 cities in Romania and Hungary. Speaking during the official launch event in Bucharest on Wednesday, September 27, eCabs Technologies Founder and Chief Executive Officer Matthew Bezzina said the successful roll out of the service in Romania with a reputable player such as Autonom, is a strong confirmation of the global grade of eCabs' technology stack and the capabilities of its people. "We are thrilled to be working with Autonom and its team of professionals on this exciting project in the beauti- ful capital of Bucharest. e growth potential for Blue is evident, also very much fuelled by Autonom's serious approach to business. I have no doubt that the strength of our technology platform combined with their focus and corporate stature will deliver ex- ceptional results'', Bezzina said. "is second launch in a few weeks, comes as we are engaged in discussions with corporate partners in key cities in Europe and beyond, to assist them in venturing into ride hailing business through our unique model, offering 13 years of packaged operational knowl- edge together with our bespoke mul- ti-channel technology", he added. Bezzina added that the vision of tak- ing eCabs Technologies to new heights would not have been possible without the support of the Malta Development Bank. "e MDB has believed in and sup- ported our internationalisation pro- ject from the very start, understanding our relentless drive to take our locally built technology overseas. Each city we launch in is a testament to their trust and support to help finance this growth which has helped make our vi- sion a reality," Bezzina said. Blue Managing Partner Andrei Stan- cu said the transport market in Roma- nia is ripe for change and Blue is poised to deliver a safe, reliable, and affordable solution. "e ride-hailing market in Romania is typically characterised by low stand- ards of service and old vehicles, fuelled by cheap prices. At Blue, we made the conscious decision to fill and own a gap in the market, offering a safer and reliable round the clock service, using world class tech powering modern, high quality owned and partner fleets" Stancu said. eCabs Technologies CEO Matthew Bezzina (second from right) and Stephanie Portanier Mifsud, eCabs Technologies Head of Cities (far left) with the Blue leadership in Bucharest, Romania. BANK of Valletta has introduced dig- ital signature technology, which once fully rolled out to all services and pro- cesses across its operations, will see the Bank furthering its objective of going paperless. Digital signatures will replace the need for customers, suppliers, and employees to physically sign docu- mentation, whilst at the same time re- taining the same means of authentici- ty. e transformation started off with selected customer-related services and internal processes and will grad- ually be rolled out to instances where documentation needs to be signed off by the Bank and its customers or sup- pliers. Digital signatures will be valid for authorising financial transactions, ap- plying for new products or services and even the signing of employment contracts and procurement agree- ments. BOV's Chief Digital Officer, eo- doros Papadopoulos explained that "e introduction of Digital Signa- tures is yet another step forward in the digital journey that Bank of Valletta has embarked upon. Digital platforms are important tools for enhancing the customer experience." During the first phase of the Digital Signatures project, Wealth Manage- ment and Private Banking customers have started signing off documents digitally when executing Stockbrok- ing instructions and other documen- tation. Customers applying for new Internet and Mobile Banking services through the Customer Service Cen- tre's Virtual Branch are also receiving the relative documentation electroni- cally. e next steps will see customers who will be applying for personal and corporate debit cards signing digital- ly on their application agreements. New employees joining the Bank are already doing away with signing phys- ical documents, whilst suppliers do- ing business with the Bank are also already using digital signatures when signing procurement contracts. Digital signatures will see BOV go paperless

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