The Hon Albert J Isola CBE > ISOLAS LLP > Gibraltar, Gibraltar > Lawyer Profile

The Hon Albert J Isola CBE

Position

Senior Partner

Career

Albert was elected into the Gibraltar Parliament on the 4th July 2013 and successfully re-elected in 2015 and 2019 with the GSLP-Liberal Alliance. Throughout this time he has held significant Ministerial responsibilities.

List of responsibilities have included;

Minister for Financial Services and Gaming; 2013 – 2023
Minister for Digital Services; 2015 – 2023
Minister for Commerce and the Port; 2015 – 2019
Minister for Town Planning; 2019 – 2022
Minister for Broadcasting, and Public Utilities; 2019 – 2023
Minister for Health and Care; 2022 – 2023
During his entire tenure Albert has held responsibility for the Financial Services and Gaming portfolios which together account for some 50% of Gibraltar’s GDP. These areas have both grown substantially during his tenure.

Of note;

He has held responsibility for financial services policy, product development, and responding to international initiatives including those on exchange of information, anti-money laundering, transparency and international tax compliance. As such he has worked closely with the financial services regulator, the Financial Services Commission and the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner.

Particularly noteworthy is his leading role in the establishment and development of the Gibraltar International Bank, a first for Gibraltar as a Government wholly owned full-service credit institution dedicating itself to retail banking for the community. The Bank managed by its Executives and with an independent Board has grown rapidly with profits for this year anticipated to reach £10M.

Albert also in 2018 launched Gibraltar’s world first legal framework for the licensing and regulation of Distributed ledger technology firms. Years ahead of any competitors and highly regarded today by all participants in the industry.

Albert has also driven significant reform in his areas of responsibility including a modern and fit for purpose new Financial Services Act (2019) updating and consolidating some 80 pieces of legislation into a new legislative framework for the Industry working closely with HMT in London and UK regulators to ensure alignment with the UK’s regulatory framework. He has also led all discussions on the Gibraltar Authorisation Regime under the UK Financial Services Act granting Gibraltar’s firms exclusive access to the UK Markets post Brexit.

Albert has also drafted a new Gambling Bill to propose to Parliament encompassing a new legal and regulatory regime for future generations of Gambling firms in the Jurisdiction. This is expected to be published shortly.

Prior to re-entering Parliament in 2013, Albert had been a Partner at ISOLAS from 1985 to 2013, to which he has now returned.

In January 2024 Albert was appointed by King Charles III to be a Commander of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to the financial and digital industries in Gibraltar.

Albert was educated at Stonyhurst College, Lancashire (1973 to 1980) and read Law at Kingston University (1980 to 1983). He is married to Graziella and has 4 children, Albert, Georgina, Tamara and Rosie.

Languages

English, Spanish