It is refreshing to read (The Financial Times, November 20) that at least in the UK, the new chief regulator has called for a “robust debate” to help determine new rules aimed at protecting customers’ assets.

All too often legal red tape as well as the hurdles inbuilt in some mergers and acquisitions make it very difficult for the small shareholder to protect the original value of his investment.

All too many shareholders in some technology companies on the Malta Stock Exchange have had their hard-earned money invested as shares turned into virtually valueless share certificates as for many years they have practically received little or no returns.

Fancy the directors of some Malta Stock Exchange-listed companies, year in and year out, pocketing thousands of euros as honoraria while declaring that there is little profit to distribute as a dividend to the other shareholders.

I will be one of those who will be attending the shareholders’ conference tomorrow at 7pm at the Radisson Blu Resort in St Julian’s on the theme ‘Little or no returns from some Malta Stock Exchange listed companies’ and hope other shareholders in a similar situation will make it too.

Uniting to protect our interests in a just and effective manner after all is what democracy and industrial democracy are about.

I for one will not take my losses lying down.