The Malta Fund Industry Association (MFIA) is pleased to announce that, in association with the Malta Institute of Financial Services (ifs Malta) and the University of Malta it is holding for the second year, an elective course on Fund Administration for students reading for the Bachelor of Commerce degree with a specialisation in Banking and Finance. Following the successful completion of the elective, students will have the opportunity to qualify for exemptions from the Diploma in Fund Administration which is awarded by the University of Manchester in collaboration with Central Law Training, offered locally through ifs Malta.
Kenneth Farrugia, Chairman of the Malta Fund Industry Association said that “Malta is internationally regarded as a growing centre of excellence for the servicing of investment funds and one of the key factors of this success is the maintenance of high standards by both practitioners and operators in this field. The Association strongly believes that the sessions, that will be delivered by industry experts provide an excellent opportunity for those students wishing to pursue a career in the fund industry by providing them with access to in depth knowledge on the main facets of the fund business.” He continued “the programme could be made available thanks to IFS Malta and the University of Malta, the financial support of the Ministry of Finance as well as the Association with particular appreciation going to AlterDomus, Custom House, IDS Fund Services and Valletta Fund Services Limited.”
Mr. Simon Grech, President of ifs Malta stated that "As the leading provider of financial services education in Malta for over fifty years, the Institute is pleased to be supporting this initiative working closely with the MFIA and UoM”. Mr. Grech added that "the Fund Administration elective course fulfils the Institute’s objectives of continuously raising educational standards in diverse areas of the financial services sector. This qualification also offers an opportunity for those who wish to further their academic preparation towards specialising in the fast growing, funds industry”.
Professor Joseph Falzon, Dean of the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy at the University of Malta, thanked the Malta Fund Industry Association and IFS Malta for taking this initiative and for their professional approach in structuring this elective.
Malta is no tax haven but has been offering innovative and attractive conditions to make it easier for anyone wishing to set up shop, retire or work here. Mr Balzan explained in detail all aspects of taxation, residency and incentives.
The next speaker was Ms Pippa Maile from Currencies Direct, who described a – very important – and alternative – way to make international transfers and payments worldwide, saving money in the process. Yes, being in Malta is all about work, fun and stretching out one’s money. And Ms Maile gave the gathered expats all the gen they needed to save money on purchases, including property. She explained that, besides a High Street bank, one can also make use of a specialist company that can make things easier and more cost efficient.
Closing up the informative sessions was an expat from South Africa, Cathy Farlam, who along with her husband had a dream to sail around the Mediterranean for a year and expand their business into Africa, Europe and the Middle East, to create a euro-based future for their family. But Greece was turning into its own nightmare, so they discovered Malta and fell madly in love with it.
The only problem, which they were sure they would not encounter but which meant their daughter is now attending school in England, was education – all because they were badly informed with regard to the choice of school. Ms Farlam finds it hard to accept that she and her husband, who do so much planning and training, left some gaping holes in their plans for their Malta stay. But they have managed to extract some good from their problems, especially the choice of school for their daughter, and they are now in a good position to advise others who plan to come to Malta.
James Grech, Managing Director of LEAD Events and LEAD Training Services, thanked the expats and all those attending this annual event and explained that LEAD wants to fill voids left by other event organisers and to be of service to anyone interested in Malta and beyond. LEAD also organises conferences and training events in Malta for professionals and upcoming entrepreneurs. The Expats in Malta event was hosted by main sponsors EMD and Omnicor, while Gold Sponsors included Atlas Healthcare, Elmo Insurance and Fino.
After the talks a successful networking session followed over drinks. Mr Farrugia’s hints were avidly followed and all had their fill of cards, contacts and information.