The 2024 edition of SIGMA Europe in Malta, having started yesterday, 11 November, is going to be the meeting point of around 27,000 delegates, over 200 exhibitors and some 550 speakers at the Mediterranean Maritime Hub (MMH). These numbers highlight the increasing importance of the event for the iGaming industry.
SIGMA, being the leading iGaming congress and exhibition, has further announced ...

Malta is a vibrant hub and offers a favourable environment for financial services providers.

Other than “physical” banks, offering a range of services, including accepting deposits, providing loans, and offering current, savings or other interest-bearing accounts as well as investment products among others, Electronic Money Institutions (EMIs) can be used for online transactions and purchases; they primarily focus on electronic transactions, ...

Clients of Dr Kresse International Law Firm and Kresse Corporate LTD for whom we set up companies in Malta, regularly need a banking relationship on the island to process their payment transactions.

Therefore, we are very often asked to support in the process of bank account opening and choosing the right finance partner for our client companies.

Clients who incorporate a company, ...

Google has announced significant changes to its gambling advertising policy in the German market. Taking effect from 25 September 2024, the update introduces stricter requirements for gaming operators and brokers (gaming affiliates) seeking to advertise on Google’s platforms in Germany.

Specifically, only operators and intermediaries licensed by Germany's gambling regulator GGL (Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder) will be eligible to apply for ...

Since Malta became a member of the European Union on 1st May 2004 the population of the Maltese Islands has increased from around 402,000 to almost 550,000 at the end of 2023.

Is Malta a paradise – no, certainly not. So why are the islands still attracting many people to live and work here?

I relocated to the rock in the Med ...

Malta, a small yet dyanmic Mediterranean island, is rapidly emerging as a hub for innovation and entreprenuership. The Malta Enterprise is the Government's economic development agency which nurtures the country's start-up ecosystem. Through a range of funding programmes and support initiatives, Malta Enterprise helps turn innovative ideas into thriving businesses. Two great funding opportunities offered by the Malta Enterprise are ...

Valuable insights on the future of international gaming rules were discussed during the CasinoBeats Summit 2024, a premier event which took place in St. Julian's, Malta between Tuesday 21st and Thursday 23rd May, 2024. The event brought together regulators and professionals in the industry to discuss the everchanging landscape of global gaming. Prominent individuals who contributed to the conference included ...

The new Malta Small Commercial Yacht Code (SCYC), effective from 1st April 2024, renders the Maltese Flag even more attractive, filling a regulatory gap in the market. The SCYC caters for the specific needs of Small Commercial Yachts, meaning yachts from 12 meters to 24 meters in length, engaged in commercial operations, with a passenger limit of 12.

The Code is ...

Making Malta the jurisdiction of choice for the niche superyacht industry by fostering a sustainable ecosystem supported by reliable infrastructure, quality services and a skilled workforce – this is the key factor of the Malta Government’s new strategic vision for the further development of the maritime sector on the Maltese Islands.

Over the last 16 years, the number of superyachts exceeding ...

Over 800 exhibitors and sponsors, around 25,000 delegates and 250 speakers – these are the record figures of this year’s SIGMA EUROPE, taking place in Malta from 13 – 17 November 2023. The current year features a record demand for the leading iGaming show, gathering the world’s gaming community on the 'Roc in the Mediterranean'.

The team of Kresse Law will ...

In Malta, one gaming license can cover a number of companies (minimum 2 operational entities and one holding company as the parent), each of them then being authorised to operate as an MGA licensee.

The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) predominantly offers two types of licences, either a business-to-customer (B2C) license to provide gaming services, or a business-to-business (B2B) license to provide ...

These three words spoken by CEO Ivan Filletti of Gaming Malta perfectly capture the positive sentiment behind this year’s Casino Beats Summit at the Intercontinental Conference Centre in St. Julian’s, Malta (23 – 25 May 2023).

Kresse Law attended the two-day conference, which gathered over 2,000 I-Gaming leaders and industry experts, with an agenda focused on Global Casino, leadership and affiliation.

On ...

The framework conditions for foreign investment in Malta have been strengthened further by a recent initiative of Malta’s financial watchdog.

MFSA, the Malta Financial Services Authority, launched a new Corporate Governance Code for authorised entities on Friday, 5th August 2022.

The Code provides a list of guiding principles, designed to enhance the legal, institutional, and regulatory framework for good governance in the ...

Which companies are affected?

Large international groups of companies with an annual turnover combined financial revenues of more than €750 million are to be subject to a minimum income tax of 15 per cent from 2023. Such a tax regime would in Malta probably only affect some 18 to 20 large international players from the gaming and financial/corporate services sectors.

For all ...

The Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP), is open to all third country, non-EEA and non-Swiss nationals, with a stable income and sufficient financial resources.

1. Key Features that set the MPRP apart from other programmes, include:

• There is no language test to obtain permanent residence
• Dependant children, regardless of age, can be included in the application, as long as they are unmarried
• Dependant parents ...

In a governance note published on 9th March 2021 the MFSA has emphasised that the creation of a sound compliance culture should be the foundation upon which Company Service Providers (CSPs) build their structures.

Compliance as a top-down exercise

At Board of Directors’ level, MFSA stipulates, that this has to translate into practicing a culture of compliance and determining the means with ...

What is a PTC?

The Private Trustee Company (PTC) is a company form recognized in Malta since April 2016 having the legal nature of a limited liability company (LLC). As a trust, the purpose of the company is to manage family assets, including real estate, for the benefit of present and future generations. Similar to a will, it enables the settlement ...

The year 2020 will be a year of new beginnings for Malta; the island state is faced with the task of regaining the trust that was called into question under the old government, rebuilding its good international reputation, making its governmental and administrative structures more transparent and efficient and positioning Malta even more clearly as an international investment location.

New Prime ...