Roger Barker

The Institute of Director’s Malta Branch (IoD) chairman James Satariano has announced that IoD, in conjunction with the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) and the Malta Institute of Management (MIM) are holding a workshop on November 13 at the MFSA on ‘Why corporate service providers have no choice but to raise their standards in Malta’.

Roger Barker, the director of corporate governance and professional standards at the Institute of Directors UK, will be the keynote speaker for the event and his delivery will focus on a topic of national importance: ‘Transparency and trust: maintaining confidence in the integrity of companies in the UK and Malta’.

Mr Satariano says: “Malta’s reputation as an international financial centre has been assisted by being a well-regulated jurisdiction under the exemplary chairmanship of Joseph ­Bannister, which applies global standards upon which clients and investors alike can rely.

“Malta has been independently assessed by a number of supranational bodies, including the IMF, which concluded that Malta’s financial sector regulation and supervision are of a high standard and comply well with international standards.

“Other assessments have placed Malta in the top-tier of onshore EU finance centres, and on the international ‘white list’ of jurisdictions maintained by the OECD. We have to ensure that proper standards are maintained – our reputation depends upon it, as does our economy.”

Michelle Buontempo, deputy director of the Securities and Markets Supervision Unit at the MFSA will provide an overview of the regulation of CSPs in Malta, and Anthony Cremona who leads the Trusts and Foundations team at Ganado & Associates who will be covering how the CSP regime arose as a result of article 36 of the third EU anti-money laundering directive. Edwin Ward, CEO of Ogilvy & Mather Malta will moderate the event.

To register for the CSP’s workshop kindly contact Secretarial Services by e-mail ssl@go.net.mt or 2133 6507, IoD members and MIM members benefit from a reduced fee of €35 while non-members may attend at €45.