Malta’s competitiveness as a growing corporate and financial services centre within the EU was the subject of two themed discussions organised by Fenech Farrugia Fiott Legal with the support of the Capstone Group and Alliance Trust Co. Ltd, as part of the series of events showcasing Malta in London during March.The first event was a business breakfast held in Harrod’s wine-tasting room that specifically addressed legal and financial journalists. The main thrust of the discussion focused around how organisations that base their knowledge centres in Malta, irrespective of whether these are cost or profit centres, can gain a competitive edge in a modern world which is increasingly characterised by a globalised knowledge economy.

The second event was hosted at the Maltese High Commission and targeted a number of professional firms, investment fund managers and business personalities. The presentation was introduced by Malta’s High Commissioner to the UK Joseph Zammit Tabona and was addressed by Tonio Fenech and David Borg, representing Fenech Farrugia Fiott Legal and Capstone Group, respectively.

Quoting a number of recently published international reports such as the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report 2011, the eGovernment Benchmarking Report December 2010 and International Living 2011, the speakers reviewed Malta’s progress as an international corporate jurisdiction of repute and the government’s commitment to strengthening this sector as part of its Vision 2015 strategic plan. They also discussed a number of case studies that showed how various international businesses in different sectors have successfully established themselves on the island since it joined the EU in 2004.

Commenting on the positive feedback from these presentations, Dr Fenech said: “These occasions invariably tend to surprise audiences in a positive manner about Malta, and further underscore my belief that Maltese professionals should join government entities and regulatory authorities in accurately and responsibly portraying the great positive strides Malta has made as a financial services and international corporate services centre of repute in international fora.”

This was the first official event following the recently announced merger between Alliance Trust Co. Ltd and Capstone Advisory Company Ltd, two established corporate and accounting services providers associated with Fenech Farrugia Fiott Legal and auditors Capstone Assurance.