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4 NEWS 7.12.2023 MALTA'S standing as an international fi- nancial jurisdiction took centre stage during a high-profile networking event in the City of London on 4 December. e event was conceived by the Malta Financial Services Advisory Council (MFSAC) and organized by FinanceMalta with the backing of 24 sponsors. e support of the private sector was crucial for the success of the reception at the Guildhall that was attended by over 600 international delegates. Delegates were addressed by Lord Mar- land, Chairman of the Commonwealth En- terprise & Investment Council (CWEIC); FinanceMalta Chairman George Vella; Jo- seph Zammit Tabona, Chairman of the MF- SAC and H.E. Dr. Emanuel Mallia, Malta's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom & Northern Ireland. e highly impactful event was entirely focused on Malta's financial services sector and aimed at fostering growth and drawing in foreign investment, in line with Finance- Malta's unrelenting drive to enhance glob- al connections and promote Malta's role in the international financial landscape. e reception also served as a way of conveying appreciation to the numerous stakeholders within the financial services sector in Lon- don that have been supporting Malta over the years. e Chairman of FinanceMalta George Vella commented: "is year has been char- acterised by a series of intensive networking and proactive internationalisation initia- tives, not least of which has been this event in the City of London. It is our intention to maintain the current momentum with a number of local and international initia- tives, some of which are already lined up for 2024." e City of London gathering follows the active participation of FinanceMalta at two significant international events in Novem- ber, respectively addressing pivotal seg- ments within the financial services indus- try - fintech and insurance. e Foundation was present at the European Captive Forum 2023 on 8-9 November together with five of its members. FinanceMalta also took part in a delegation of Maltese stakeholders participating in the Web Summit in Lisbon on 13-15 November. In the final month of the year, FinanceMal- ta has slated two additional events and will be wrapping up 2023 with the 7th Annual Private Wealth Switzerland Zürich Forum on 7 December and the EU Roundtable of Financial Centres, of which FinanceMalta is a member, on 15 December in Paris. FinanceMalta facilitates high-profile networking event in the City of London Guests attending the networking event facilitated by FinanceMalta at the Guildhall, City of London THE Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) recently concluded a series of workshops targeted at insurance com- panies, intermediaries, and investment services to unfold the transformative potential of the EU Retail Investment Strategy Package. e EU Retail Investment Strategy Package, adopted by the European Commission on 24 May 2023, aims to make the EU a safer place for cit- izens to invest in the long term, by enhancing the information provided to retail investors through disclosure rules, increasing cost transparency by standardising the presentation and terminology on costs, and en- suring that retail clients have a clear annual view of their portfolio's per- formance. e EU Package aims to address po- tential conflicts of interest, combat misleading marketing, and maintain high standards of professional qual- ifications for financial advisors. It is also intended to encourage financial literacy, reduce administrative bur- dens for professional investors, and enhance supervisory cooperation. Lead by Head of Conduct Supervi- sion Dr Sarah Pulis, the workshops covered a range of topics including disclosures, inducements, suitability assessment, value for money, mar- keting and communications practic- es, and more. Pulis commented on the initia- tive, "e proposed Retail Invest- ment Package will bring significant changes to the rules for many finan- cial products and services offered to retail customers. While some pro- posals spark intense debate, the ul- timate goal of bolstering consumer confidence in financial markets and encouraging retail investor partic- ipation remains the desirable out- come." MFSA guides financial entities to ensure customers make informed investment decisions Clockwise from above: Christopher Buttigieg - MFSA Chief Officer Supervision, Sarah Pulis - Head, Conduct Supervision, MFSA, and representatives from the Investment and Insurance Sectors attend MFSA's workshop

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