Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/750768
45 Events maltatoday, SUNDAY, 13 NOVEMBER 2016 HSBC Malta Foundation support- ed the promotion of renowned Maltese lacework for the ninth year running as part of its effort to carry on the legacy of this in- tricate art. The Foundation fi- nanced this year's annual Malta Lace Competition with €3,000. The most impressive works were recognised through prizes and certificates. The award ceremony was led by HSBC Malta Founda- tion Deputy Chairperson Mrs Jennifer Beane and Speaker of the House of Representatives Hon Anġlu Farrugia in the company of Marquis Nicholas De Piro and Marchioness Frances de Piro from Casa Rocca Piccola Trust and Margaret Farrugia, the organiser. EY in strategic collaboration with Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute EY and the Johns Hopkins Arm- strong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality announce a strategic collaboration to develop and de- liver services to help health care organizations worldwide im- prove patient safety, operational efficiency and clinical outcomes. Teams of renowned clinical experts from the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute and con- sultants from EY Health Sector Services will work together to jointly develop, market and de- ploy services across the areas of high reliability, clinical trans- formation, risk management and valuation, data analytics, and enabling infrastructure to help eliminate avoidable patient harm. EY and the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute bring com- plementary capabilities and ap- proaches to the issues confront- ing global health systems. EY professionals will provide their experience and global footprint in supporting health care system clinical transformation, enter- prise risk, and provider infra- structure, as well as enterprise data analytics. The Johns Hop- kins Armstrong Institute will bring renowned expertise in ev- idence-based clinical methods to enhance patient safety, quality, clinical outcomes, patient sat- isfaction and operational effec- tiveness in health care delivery. Ronald Attard, Country Man- aging Partner for EY Malta and EY CSE TAS Leader, says: "We are steadily moving towards a to- tally interconnected world with technology and ICT at its cen- tre. Areas of life, social activity, the economy and public policy which only until a few years ago were remote from each other are now locked into positive syner- gies. We at EY Malta are proud to be part of a global firm which is at the cutting edge of this move- ment towards more intercon- nectedness, particularly in an area - health - which is so central to human well-being." Through their agreement, the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Insti- tute and EY will jointly provide services in: High reliability organizing transformation services to help clients begin the journey to high reliability across locations, functions, and geographies, ad- dressing governance and infra- structure, clinical practices and communities and performance management; Insight analytics tools to help clients see potential clinical and patient safety risks in clinical data to help mitigate potential harms with the same rigor and controls typically used in man- aging financial data; Health care safety and quality evaluation to help clients under- stand the value of their clinical quality and patient safety infra- structure, as well as potential risks and areas for improvement; Health infrastructure and managed services to help clients plan, design, build and commis- sion hospitals, medical schools, home health care services and tele- health capabilities, and clinical quality and safety de- partments. Kevin Ichhpurani, EY Global Head of Alliances and Ecosystem Innovation, Advisory Services, says: "Collaborative relation- ships such as this are key to EY's growth by expanding our ser- vices portfolio strategically. By jointly developing, marketing, and deploying health care trans- formation Advisory services, the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Insti- tute and EY can apply comple- mentary capabilities and services to pressing issues confronting global health systems. Together, we can help build a healthier and better working world to further improve patient care and in- crease health care efficiency and efficacy." New solutions powered by data and advanced technologies to improve patient care and operational efficiencies for hospitals and other health care facilities worldwide HSBC Malta Foundation tailoring the future of Maltese lacework Exante co-founder and entrepreneur speaking at MiGs Earlier this year CoinTelegraph stat- ed that the Bitcoin currency possi- bly may be recognised by the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) as well as other global regulators in the very near future. The current scenario in Malta is one where hundreds of casinos licensed on the island can- not accept Bitcoin due to the MGA's regulations, despite a lot of them that would like to offer this payment option to their players. The acceptance of the Bitcoin as payment method would no doubt help popularise it among online ca- sinos and gamers while also attract- ing Bitcoin casinos that currently use FIAT currency. Malta-based Bitcoin casino BitStarz thinks that the adoption of Bitcoin would open up opportunities for spreading cryp- tocurrency in the gambling indus- try. Sasha Jade, Marketing Manager at BitStarz recently stated that the problem lies in FIAT money casi- nos currently not accepting Bitcoin. These casinos still hold 99% of the gaming market. In 2014, Maltese Investment Bro- ker Exante, established The Bitcoin Fund, which was traded exclusively on the EXANTE fund platform and launched in late 2012. At the time the best performing hedge fund with massive financial returns (Source: Bloomberg). The Bitcoin Fund has now secured its place in financial history as never before such an ex- ceptional result has been achieved by a fund of its kind. Patrick J O' Brien, Exante's Communication Director believes "that the recogni- tion of Bitcoin by Maltese gaming authorities in the years ahead would allow Bitcoin to get on the global gaming market and expand into Asian and Russian markets." MiGs speaker, Anatoliy Knyazev started his career on the exchange market, trading derivatives in the early 2000s. Later on his trading background allowed him to found Exante with other associates. Famed as a cryptocurrency pioneer and block chain specialist he will join a panel of other experts to discuss the future of virtual currencies and how pertinent they are for today's industries. Over 480 delegates have registered at Malta Igaming Semi- nar, now in its eighth year, its most successful term ever. MiGs has now sealed Malta's foundation as the stead rock for Igaming Events in Eu- rope. Frank Salt Real Estate in South Africa The South Africa roadshow has become a yearly event on the Frank Salt Real Estate calendar, where the company together with the South African representative, organize a series of free information seminars for South African nationals to ac- tively promote Malta, the lifestyle and residency programmes. After actively promoting these seminars on the leading South African press and media chan- nels, the team recently travelled to Cape Town and Johannesburg where a series of informative pres- entations and private meetings were held, in an effort to highlight the advantages Malta has to offer. These seminars offer the people who attended an insight to various residency programs including the popular Global Residence Program for non-EU nationals and the Malta Citizenship Investment, together with financial incentives, property and investments, and particularly target South African nationals who are looking to invest or relo- cate overseas and perhaps consider Malta. "The seminars were very well at- tended by people who are either looking for an investment or who are looking to relocate, due to the unstable political situation and high rate of criminality in their country," said Paul Bondin sen- ior sales consultant at Cospicua branch. "Malta is a favourite destination among South African nationals due to the fact that English is wide- ly spoken, that it is easily accessible by means of daily flight connec- tions and a healthy property mar- ket predominates." "This year we spoke to a lot of clients who are seriously consider- ing investing in property in Malta," adds Grahame Salt, Director for Frank Salt Real Estate. "This is now the 12th year that we have been visiting South Africa and we have built up a very good net- work over the years. The interest is always very encouraging. This kind of investment by overseas buyers is very important for the local real estate market. Our South African clients are often very established business people and there is a lot that they can contribute to locally," Salt said. "It is very important of course that we play our cards right and look after these clients to ensure that their investment experience is a positive one, not just from a prop- erty point of view, but also from a legal and banking perspective." Frank Salt Real Estate has the right set up and infrastructure dedicated to service foreign cli- ents looking to purchase or rent a property, or relocate to Malta. In fact, the company has also recently participated in property shows in Stockholm and Birmingham, with very good interest and attendance at both exhibitions.