FinanceMalta is sponsoring this year's Nextgen Payments Forum, which will focus on the online payment ecosystem - exploring the areas of regulation, security and technology and how to keep a competitive edge at a minimum cost. The forum, which is the ultimate gathering for senior executives involved in financial transactions and digital payment operations, will be held on 27 and 28 February at Le Meridien St Julian's Hotel & Spa, from 9am to 6pm.

The forum will bring together representatives from leading retail banks, industry shakers, and regulators with European (online and mobile) merchants in a close set-up. Delegates will discuss the current industry ecosystem, placing payments at the heart of the conversation to further advance strategic industry collaboration.

Other topics include a focus on Regtech solutions: minimising costs and maximising opportunities with the use of AI in compliance issues, open banking and its uptake and an interactive session on the challenges and opportunities that Brexit will bring about for the payments industry.

Commenting on FinanceMalta's support for this event, company chairman, Kenneth Farrugia said: "The support for this forum forms part of our commitment to facilitate discussion on new developments taking place in the financial services industry." He added that the Nextgen Payments Forum will help those financial services professionals navigating this complex and rapidly changing environment to understand, and come to terms with, some of the issues and latest innovations.

Nextgen Payments Forum 2018 aims to provide delegates with exclusive insights from leading industry experts in an engaging and interactive format of presentations and panel discussions. The forum will be chaired by Peter Oakes, Founder of Fintech Ireland, and will see the participation of international speakers including David Gyori, CEO of Banking Reports; Subas Roy, Global Chairman of International Regtech Association; Paul Alfing, Senior Consultant Retail, Payments Advisory Group & co-Chair ERPB Working Group on Payment Initiation Services, Ecommerce Europe; Marius Jurgilas, Board Member of the Bank of Lithuania and Pascale Marie Brien, Senior Policy Adviser, Payments and Digital from the European Banking Federation.

Current FinanceMalta members are entitled to 40 per cent off the standard registration fee. More information can be found on the FinanceMalta website.