Malta Budget Highlights 2020

The European Commission has published new delegated regulations amending the EU prospectus disclosure regime, introducing streamlined content requirements and standardized formats for various categories of prospectuses. These reforms, part of the broader EU Listing Act package, aim to reduce regulatory burdens for issuers while maintaining investor protection, with key changes including reduced historical financial information requirements and simplified disclosure obligations.

The European Union's Sixth Capital Requirements Directive introduces a groundbreaking EU-wide framework requiring third-country credit institutions to establish authorised branches when providing core banking services within the EU. This new regime, effective January 2027, replaces the previous patchwork of national rules with harmonised supervisory standards, though several exemptions and transitional protections apply to existing arrangements.

With AIFMD II now transposed into Maltese law, fund promoters, asset managers and family offices have access to new regulatory pathways for establishing loan origination and private credit vehicles in Malta. The revised framework expressly permits corporate lending by Alternative Investment Funds, while the updated NAIF regime brings loan origination within scope, opening doors to EU-wide distribution through the AIFMD marketing passport.

Malta has emerged as a leading jurisdiction for Electronic Money Institutions and Payment Service Providers seeking EU market access. With a responsive regulator, efficient licensing timelines, full EU passporting rights...

The European Banking Authority has issued comprehensive guidelines addressing how financial institutions must manage risks associated with third-party service providers for non-ICT services. These new requirements expand beyond previous outsourcing frameworks, introducing broader applicability and more detailed governance standards for critical and important functions.

Capital Markets are often surrounded by misconceptions and technical jargon, yet they play a central role in how businesses grow and economies develop.

On the 15th of June 2026, the European Commission published Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1291 introducing a revised set of implementing technical standards under the Market Abuse Regulation...

Payment Institutions and Electronic Money Institutions handle customer funds differently under EU law. While Payment Institutions use payment accounts for short-term transaction processing, Electronic Money Institutions store monetary value indefinitely in digital wallets. Understanding the legal distinction between these account types is crucial for fintech companies navigating PSD2 and EMD2 compliance requirements.

WH Partners examines Malta's comprehensive regulatory framework for digital assets, detailing licensing requirements, compliance obligations, and the jurisdiction's alignment with EU MiCA regulations. The analysis covers critical operational considerations for businesses in the digital asset space, from AML/CFT requirements to emerging trends in tokenisation and decentralised finance.

New measures on the provision of contracts for differences (‘CFDs') and binary options to retail investors have been formally adopted by the European Securities and Markets Authority (‘ESMA') ...

The EU AI Act's Article 50 introduces age-dependent disclosure requirements for AI-powered NPCs in video games, creating a new compliance framework where the same generative character may require explicit labeling in one context but not another. This provision intersects with emerging consumer protection regulations and child safety standards, fundamentally changing how gaming studios must assess their AI implementations based on actual player demographics rather than abstract user models.

The EU AI Act's transparency obligations became enforceable on 2 August 2026, requiring providers and deployers of AI systems to clearly disclose AI-generated content, inform users of AI interactions, and label deepfakes. Organizations must now navigate new compliance requirements including disclosure obligations for emotion recognition systems and content on matters of public interest, while facing potential fines of up to €15 million or 3% of global turnover for non-compliance.

The EU Commission has surprisingly withdrawn the proposed AI Liability Directive from consideration. This was announced in the Commission's 2025 work programme, adopted on the 11 February 2025.

The Water Services Corporation has issued a major tender for the design, construction and commissioning of a new reverse osmosis desalination plant in Pembroke, Malta, with a nominal capacity of 11,200 m³ per day. The procurement follows EU Directive 2014/25/EU procedures and requires the existing plant to remain operational throughout the project's 100-week completion period. Economic operators must navigate extensive technical requirements covering reverse-osmosis systems, electrical infrastructure,

The European Union has reached a compromise on the Payment Services Directive 3 (PSD3) and Payment Services Regulation (PSR), introducing sweeping changes to harmonise payment rules across Member States. The package addresses fragmentation under PSD2 by migrating conduct-of-business rules into directly applicable regulations, while introducing new provisions on cash access, cryptocurrency payment services, fraud liability, and open banking.

On 24 July 2025, the Maltese Citizenship (Amendment) Act (Act XXI of 2025) ("Citizenship Amendment Act") came into force, marking the end of the granting of Maltese citizenship by naturalisation for exceptional services by direct investment.

The United Arab Emirates ("UAE") has become the leading FinTech hub in the Middle East. Through bold regulation, access to global capital, and strategic free zones...

The Romanian regulatory framework for gaming was reformed in 2015–16. This created a gambling market that can be generally characterised...

In the first episode of WH Talks, and the launch of our Gaming Insights Series, we explore the latest developments in the Italian regulatory framework and the evolving gaming market.

The European Commission is preparing its proposal for the Digital Fairness Act ("DFA"), a legislative initiative intended to strengthen consumer protection in digital environments.