Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1539444
7 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 14 SEPTEMBER 2025 COMMERCIAL THE second edition of the Order of Malta National Art Exhibition shall open to the public on the 24th October 2025at St John's Cavalier, Valletta. This Exhibition is poten- tially going to be the largest collective art exhibition ever organised locally and will feature the works of painters and watercol- ourists, bronze artists, ceramicists, sculp- tors, photographers and others. Comm. Dr Pascal Demajo, curator of the exhibition and chairman of the organis- ing committee and a member of the Mal- tese Association of the Order of Malta ex- plained how the hosting of this exhibition has a three-pronged vision. These include the promotion of the arts in present-day Malta, the raising of funds for philanthrop- ic causes, as well as bringing the works of the Maltese Association to the attention of the general public . This exhibition encom- passes one hundred and ninety one artists, representing just about half of the Maltese artistic community. We hope that visitors will enjoy this exhibition the likes of which has never been set up in our Islands. "We are also inviting public and private schools to send their students to admire the artworks on display, to meet some of the artists who are going to be in attendance and to experience the beautiful environs of St John's Cavalier," "Besides raising more awareness about the Maltese contemporary art scene which has been blessed with a lot of talent, this exhibi- tion will hopefully also raise much needed funds for the charitable causes the Maltese Association of the Order of Malta supports. In fact, we are grateful to all participating artists who have committed to donate all or part of the proceeds from their sold works." "This collective exhibition will not only be a special event due to the extraordinary number of artists participating and the va- riety of artistic mediums, but also due to the fact that this is again being hosted at St John's Cavalier, a Knights-era building that is very rarely open for public viewing. The Cavalier was designed by Francesco Lapa- relli, a famous Italian military engineer and its construction overseen by his Maltese as- sistant Girolamo Cassar." "We thank APS Bank, our main sponsor, for its generous financial help, the Malta Arts Council and others who helped make this Exhibition possible. Deserved thanks go to the organising and advisory com- mittee members, and last but not least, I thank all those in advance who visit the Ex- hibition and especially those who through their acquisitions specifically contribute to the promotion of the arts in Malta, and to the raising of much needed funds for the Association's charitable causes." added Dr Demajo. The Order of Malta National Art Exhibi- tion will be open daily as from Friday 24th October to the 17th November between 10.00 am and 6.00 pm from Monday to Saturday and from 10.00 am to 1.00 pm on Sundays. The second edition of the Order of Malta National Art Exhibition opens in October MeDirect set to accelerate growth following completion of acquisition by Banka CREDITAS MEDIRECT Group today an- nounced the completion of its acquisition by Banka CREDITAS, part of the privately owned Czech based CREDITAS Group which has interests in financial servic- es, real estate and energy. This acquisition follows the signing of a share purchase agreement in November 2024 and subsequent regulatory approval from the Eu- ropean Central Bank (ECB) in Au- gust 2025. With this new strategic shareholder, MeDirect Group aims to accelerate its expansion and explore new opportunities for growth. Founded in Malta in 2004, Me- Direct Group has more recently established itself as a pan-Euro- pean challenger bank. As Malta's first digital bank, the organisation offers clients a unique blend of mobile and digital banking and in- vestment services, combined with personalised services through its branches and Malta-based contact centre. The Group's expansion as a purely digital bank into Belgium has seen MeDirect become the third largest Maltese bank with more than 160,000 customers throughout the group, holding more than €6 billion in assets. Jiří Hrouda, CEO of CREDITAS Group, said: "We are enthusias- tic to welcome MeDirect into the CREDITAS family. While Me- Direct has already delivered im- pressive sustainable growth, we strongly believe that there is still enormous potential for further development. With a best-in-class secure digital banking platform, developed by the Malta-based tech team, and a unique set of banking, investment and lending services for retail and corporate customers, MeDirect and CREDITAS Group share the same DNA and aspire to serve the most demanding cli- ents." While the MeDirect Group will now become a subsidiary of Banka CREDITAS, which has been op- erating in Czechia since 2016, the MeDirect brand will be retained. "Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in MeDirect's growth journey. Having Banka CREDI- TAS as our shareholder means we now have greater firepower to continue our mission to challenge the traditional banking landscape," said Jean-Claude Maher, Group CEO of MeDirect. "Our shared standards with Banka CREDITAS around customer-centricity and innovation make this partnership particularly exciting as we seek to expand the bank and find new opportunities to make our digi- tal banking platform more widely available across Europe." MeDirect's ambitions for Malta will focus on providing a full suite of products and services which give both retail and corporate cus- tomers the tools to manage their finances on their terms. As a Mal- tese bank with an innovative plat- form, MeDirect already offers un- rivalled access to more than 4,300 financial products, market leading interest rates on fixed and instant access deposit accounts, mul- ti-currency daily banking accounts and a bespoke digital banking plat- form for corporate customers. In addition, it has an established reputation for the fastest response and processing times on home loans. In the coming months, with the capital to be invested by Banka CREDITAS, MeDirect will work to ensure it can offer an even broader range of services to all residents and businesses in Malta, while retaining its focus on effi- ciency and customer centricity. "The strategic partnership with Banka CREDITAS represents more than just financial backing, it's an alignment of values and vi- sion, with both organisations shar- ing a commitment to challenging the status quo in banking. Maltese retail and corporate customers can rest assured that MeDirect will remain a proud Maltese bank, fully committed to meeting the needs of customers and support- ing the country's economic pros- perity. Expect to see further devel- opments in the coming months", concluded Maher. APS Bank hosts talk on communication skills APS Bank hosted the 37th ses- sion in its APS Talks series, ti- tled "Sell yourself: The skills to stand out every day". Delivered by an accredited High Perfor- mance Coach, Alexia Stafrace from Toastmasters Malta, the talk focuses on developing au- thentic communication, emo- tional intelligence, and pres- ence in everyday interactions. Drawing on her own journey in public speaking, Alexia en- courages speakers to embrace their unique voice, harness the power of energy in delivery, and nurture genuine connections through purpose-driven dia- logue. The session was designed to inspire the audience to use sim- ple tools to present with confi- dence and authenticity, in both personal and professional con- texts. "Effective communication starts with showing up as your- self," said Jeremy Vassallo, Cor- porate Social Responsibility Manager, reflecting on the event. "Alexia's insights reinforce our belief that presence, clarity and emotional intelligence are key to meaningful engagement."