Businesses in Gozo face the same challenges as those in Malta, with the added burden of double insularity, which includes higher transport costs and reduced economies of scale, which in turn lower the attractiveness for increased investment in Gozo, said Gozo Business Chamber president Joseph Borg during an event organised in collaboration with Bank of Valletta. 

“Identifying the right form of finance for the appropriate stage of business growth is key to successfully accessing finance,” said BOV EU and Institutional Affairs executive Mark Scicluna Bartoli. This was the objective of the seminar organised as part of Malta’s SME week.

Presentations on different forms of finance were presented to the audience. These included EU risk sharing instruments, such as the BOV JAIME Financing Package, crowdfunding platforms initiatives such as Zaar, capital market funding using the Malta Stock Exchange – Prospects, and bootstrapping a start-up IT company. 

Financial education initiatives form the basis of an association agreement signed between BOV and the Gozo Business Chamber.

The event was concluded with a presentation by the Gozo Ministry highlighting the various incentives offered to Gozitan enterprises.