Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/349229
Events 40 maltatoday, Sunday, 20 July 2014 NASSCOM partners with SmartCity to focus on growth and development of the knowledge industry globally It was back in 2004 when Maltco Lotteries started its operations in Malta and to mark its 10th anniver- sary, the company, a subsidiary of the global leader gaming company INTRALOT, held a reception for all its agents, employees and stakehold- ers. The event, held in St Julians, was attended also by Edward Scicluna, Minister of Finance, Jose Herrera, Parliamentary Secretary for Com- petitiveness and Growth, Simon Busuttil, Leader of the Opposition, other members of Parliament, rep- resentatives from the INTRALOT Group and other distinguished guests. On this special occasion, the company produced an audio visual production which portrayed the 10 historical years of Maltco Lotteries since its inception. The feature in- cluded interesting information on statistics, launch of games, informa- tion on the two licences awarded to the company and other important events that marked the company's successful years. In his welcoming speech, Maltco's C.E.O, Ioannis Katakis said that the company immediately thought of Malta as being an exciting and chal- lenging opportunity, since it was the first ever experience that the nation- al lottery in Malta was going to be privatised. Katakis said that over the years, the company has created jobs and invested more than €70 million over the years, thus helping the Mal- tese economy to strengthen further. "Over the years, we have been offer- ing a wide spectrum of games based on Responsible Gaming principles, in which players have the choice to play various exciting games at the leisure of our Points of Sale." com- mented Katakis. He also referred to Maltco as an important reference in the gaming industry for the world; "Being an ac- tive member of the World Lotteries Association and the European Lot- teries, Malta through Maltco has indeed become one of the pioneer lotteries in the world." Katakis thanked all the agents and employees who have been working within the company since its incep- tion and wished all the best of luck to the new comers. He said that the company's main aim is to continue to work close with the agents and sellers to establish an on going, sta- ble and healthy relationship with them, thus creating together more successes for the company. Jose Herrera, Parliamentary Sec- retary for Competitiveness and Growth, on behalf of the Maltese government praised Maltco Lotter- ies for their 10 successful years. He said that since its launch, the com- pany succeeded in increasing both revenues and winning opportuni- ties. He also spoke about the dangers of illegal gaming and gambling addic- tion "Illegal gambling is a scourge that affects not only punters who may end up victims of usury, but also the gaming industry and other sectors including sports." He also stated that the Foundation for Responsible Gaming has been established to prevent and avoid illegal gaming. On behalf of the Maltese government, Dr Herrera augured Maltco Lotteries Ltd more successes. The external structure of one of Gozo's finest baroque buildings, the Banca Giuratale, situated in Inde- pendence Square, also known as It- Tokk, in Victoria, is currently under- going meticulous restoration works sponsored by HSBC Malta Founda- tion. The works are expected to be completed by the end of this year (2014). During an onsite visit, HSBC Bank Malta CEO Mark Watkinson pre- sented the sponsorship to the Minis- ter for Gozo, Anton Refalo. The works on this unique baroque building in Gozo, which used to house Gozo's local government, in- clude the removal of all superfluous cables and fixtures attached to the façade, the removal of cement based rendering, the cleaning of the façade, the replacement of damaged stone blocks and decorative cornice, the maintenance of timber apertures, and waterproofing of the Banca Giu- ratale's roof. Minister Refalo thanked HSBC Malta Foundation for their generous sponsorship. "I am grateful HSBC for understanding and appreciat- ing the importance of this histori- cal and prominent building, serving as a splendid backdrop to impor- tant events that take place in Gozo. Through the Foundation's sponsor- ship, the Banca Giuratale will regain its original glory." Watkinson said, "HSBC Malta Foundation, set up to support such worthwhile initiatives that, among others, lead to greater cultural appre- ciation of what Malta has to offer, be- lieves that the imposing Banca Giu- ratale is a unique historical building that deserves to regain its full splen- dour. Strategically situated in the middle of Gozo's main square, the restored building will be admired by all Maltese and foreigners for many generations." Built on the site of an earlier struc- ture which was the seat of the local government of Gozo known as the 'Universitas', the Banca Giuratale was constructed on the design of the French military engineer Charles Françoise de Mondion (1681-1733) during the reign of Grand Master De Vilhena. The original building consisted of an oblong structure on two storeys surmounted by the coat of arms of the Order of St John and Grand Mas- ter Antonio Manuel de Vilhena as well as that of the Gozo Universitas. Following the abolishment of the Universitas during the early years of British rule, the building started be- ing used for different purposes. Due to the limited space of the building, in 1868 a semi-circular extension designed by Giovanni Bonello was added to the building giving it the appearance that it has today. The Banca Giuratale housed sev- eral different entities including the Police, the Notarial Archives, the General Post Office, the Gozo Civic Council and the Department of Ag- riculture. Today it is the seat of the Victoria Local Council and houses also the offices of the Culture and Information Sections of the Ministry for Gozo. The National Association of Soft- ware & Services (NASSCOM) and SmartCity today signed a Memo- randum of Understanding (MoU) at the Ministry of Economy, Invest- ment and Small Business at Palazzo Zondadori in Valletta. The Chairman of NASSCOM, R Chandrasekaran and the CEO of SmartCity Dubai, Abdullatif AlMul- la, signed the MoU in the presence of the Minister for the Economy, Invest- ment and Small Business, Christian Cardona, Chief Operations Officer of SmartCity Dubai, Baju George and CEO of SmartCity Malta, Anthony P. Tabone. The MoU aims to contribute to the growth and development of the knowledge industry, with special em- phasis on software, IT services, inter- net, e-commerce, IT Enabled services, Smart Services, Cloud Computing and Telecommunications. It will also help create self-sustaining models that will enable the rapid growth of the knowledge sector, propelled by in- novative disruptive technologies. The partnership will focus on build- ing knowledge cluster models glo- bally, as a network of self-sustained knowledge townships and support the growth of these knowledge industries. The MoU will aim to develop eight more townships in the next ten years with smart digital infrastructure, apart from existing projects in Malta (in Europe) and Kochi (India). As part of the collaboration, both parties will organize the exchange of information and trade missions/busi- ness delegations of IT industry and best practices to facilitate joint venture alliances promote bilateral relation and business opportunities in host cit- ies and support them for success. Talking about the MoU, Chan- drasekaran, Chairman, NASSCOM, said, "The knowledge industry is ex- periencing a steady and stable trans- formation world over, with IT playing a central role in every aspect. "The Indian IT industry is also rap- idly maturing, driven by dynamic macro-economic factors, rapidly emerging technologies and business priorities. We are pleased to have partnered with SmartCity to further ensure faster adaptability of advanced technologies and develop knowledge hubs globally. This will provide ac- cess to companies operating in India to better infrastructure, facilities and services and enable growth of the global network of free zone business townships. Abdullatif AlMulla, CEO, SmartCi- ty, said, "As part of the MoU, we aim to leverage technology for innovativeso- lutions which will allow exchange of services and other facilities between both regions. "Emerging technologies like cloud, analytics, pervasive presence of mo- bile telephony and broadband pen- etration have created new opportuni- ties for companies to collaborate and build a knowledge hub globally. The MoU is a positive step undertaken to provide customized offers and servic- es and further translate expertise to develop international business clus- ters that fuel economic and industry growth." Both parties will also be facilita- tors of investment including venture capital in IT industry for the benefit of SmartCity companies and NASS- COM members. SmartCity Malta and SmartCity Kochi form the first SmartCity outposts in EU and In- dia. Both, free zone developments are supported by cutting-edge infra- structure, unique lifestyle amenities and a responsive support system. The Malta Philharmonic Orchestra took Banif Bank employees, fami- lies and friends on a magical musi- cal journey, regaling an eager audi- ence with tunes from popular film soundtracks, greatly loved by both children and adults. Organised by the Banif Sports and Social Committee exclusively for the bank, the evening started off with refreshments at the Argotti Gardens, giving staff the chance to chat informally and mingle. Rob- ert Samut Hall, a former Method- ist church, proved to be the perfect setting for the concert, with excel- lent acoustics to boot. The talented musicians and solo- ists, under the direction of Michael Laus, treated Banif to an excit- ing programme of classical music, while Dorothy Bezzina's exquisite voice well impressed the little ones seated comfortably at the front, not far from the musicians. The instrumental ensemble per- formed piece after piece with preci- sion and passion, transforming the evening into a true midsummer's night dream. The performance was accompanied by visuals from the movies, projected on a big screen. "A great night out at the movies, one could say!" said branch man- ager Patrick Bartolo who also sits on the Banif Committee. "Of course it was much more than that, and it was great of MPO to include the children in such an intelligent way, addressing them and involving them in most of the pieces played. It really ensured they were totally engrossed and well be- haved!" The Banif Sports and Social Com- mittee also put together a spin off event, in which the children used their imagination to make musical instruments from recycled mate- rial. The Malta Philharmonic Orchestra plays exclusively for Banif HSBC Malta CEO Mark Watkinson (right) presenting the sponsorship to the Minister for Gozo Dr Anton Refalo in the presence of Permanent Secretary John Borg. Maltco Lotteries Ltd celebrates the 10th anniversary of its operations in Malta HSBC Malta Foundation sponsors restoration works of Banca Giuratale