KPMG in Malta will shortly be publishing a study on banks in Malta which it believes will provide a user-friendly way to analyse the sector – with the added value of expert analysis of issues facing the sector.

Juanita Bencini, KPMG in Malta’s partner for risk consulting services, said that while there are commentaries on individual banks, there has never been a document which brought all the information together. It was only natural that such a publication should be tackled by KPMG, which has historically always been very strong in financial services, especially in banking.

Indeed, the global firm already has similar publications for other jurisdictions, so the local firm was able to benefit from the established methodology and format – with the added benefit that Maltese banks can be benchmarked.

The yearly publication wades through the reams of publicly available information, filtering out the background noise to present the most relevant figures and to pick up trends. It does not attempt to compare the banks, rather providing a format which allows the reader – who could be any stakeholder from investor to employee – to make up his or her own mind from the concise information provided.

That in no way implies that the information is sterile; quite the contrary. The 28 banks in Malta are remarkably diverse and any meaningful insight depends on understanding this.

“For example, we distilled the business model of each of the core banks and when you see it in black and white, you realise how different they are – even though they are operating in the same market,” she explained.

KPMG in Malta was also able to tap into its considerable expertise and compile “thought leadership” articles on issues that could affect local banks – in particular over the next few years.