Malta has been chosen as the venue for the 17th edition of the European Association for Banking History’s (EABH) Annual Conference. The conference, which is being supported by the Central Bank of Malta and Bank of Valletta, will be held on the 1-2 June 2007 at the San Gorg Corinthia Hotel in St. Julian’s. Over 100 foreign delegates are expected to participate in this annual event.

The theme chosen for the Malta conference is “Banking and Finance in the Mediterranean: A Historical Perspective”. The conference will explore the evolution of banking and finance in the Mediterranean area from the 19th century to the present time. A number of aspects will be considered including the structural evolution of banking systems; the role of banking and financial networks in enhancing capital and trade flows among countries; monetary and currency developments; and the current state of banking and financial archives.

The conference will be addressed, amongst others, by Joseph C. Sammut who will be giving and outline of Malta’s numismatic history and by John Consiglio, a lecturer at the University of Malta who will give an overview and make observations on Malta’s banking history.

The European Association for Banking History e.V. was founded in November 1990 as a forum for research into banking history. Within a short time it had developed into an internationally recognised organisation, highly respected for its work in the field of banking history and archives. In recognition of its contribution to the promotion of banking history, the Association was awarded the European Culture Prize in 2001. In more recent times, the EABH has broadened its scope of activities in order to fully incorporate financial history.

Almost 80 banks from 25 European countries are members of the EABH and, in line with the Association's recent development, financial institutions are now a welcome addition to its membership.