The total number of HSBC bank outlets in Malta and Gozo has risen to 41 after new premises were inaugurated in Marsascala yesterday.

The branch is located right in the heart of the town and will offer a full range of services, including an automated teller machine. The branch is located in St Anthony Street, the main road leading into the village. The branch is up to HSBC Group standards, both in terms of comfort for customers and employees as well as full accessibility for disabled people.

HSBC Malta CEO Shaun Wallis inaugurated the premises together with mayor Mario Calleja. The branch was then blessed by Marsascala parish priest Martin Micallef.

Mr Wallis said: “Marsascala is a sizeable and important locality, and opening a branch here will help HSBC serve the public better. We have installed our latest designs, customer service and product ranges. We invite all existing customers and other people who bank elsewhere to drop in and try us out,” said Mr Wallis.

The mayor said that Marsascala had a total population of about 10,000 people in winter and up to 30,000 in the summer. “There was a need for this branch to open,” he said.

Mr Calleja explained that he used to be a police inspector and shared an anecdote with all those present. “In my early years in service with the Corps, we used to say that things come in threes. To have a good stable community, we used to say that you needed a respectable parish priest, bank manager and police inspector. Now I would have to add the mayor to that list,” he said.

Following the cutting of the ribbon ceremony, Mr Wallis gave an Lm1,000 donation to the council and an undisclosed amount to the parish church. Mr Calleja was extremely grateful and said: “This money will not be spent on benches and pavements. I am going to personally make sure that it goes to the public library and hopefully we will have something left to give to the locality’s school.”