The Governor of the Central Bank of Malta, Professor Edward Scicluna, chaired the Commonwealth Central Bank Governors (CCBG) Meeting, held virtually on Tuesday 16 September 2025, the Central Bank said Thursday.

Professor Edward Scicluna resumed his role as Governor of the Central Bank of Malta and as a member of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank on 29 July, following a formal request he submitted to Prime Minister Robert Abela and Minister for Finance Clyde Caruana, the government said Tuesday.

Scicluna had stepped aside from his duties exactly a year before after a court of law found there is enough prima facie evidence for him and others to stand trial in connection with the Vitals hospitals concession.

In a statement on Thursday, the Central Bank said bringing together Governors, senior officials and designated observers from the 56 member countries of the Commonwealth, the meeting fostered productive discussions related to national and global economic challenges. Conducted under the theme 'Strengthening Economic Resilience Amidst the International Policy Shifts', a lively discussion produced numerous interventions by member states including Lesotho, Uganda, Bangladesh, the Bahamas, Kenya and New Zealand.

Among the issues highlighted by the speakers were the direct impact of escalating tariff wars, and the growing economic uncertainty caused by the geopolitical upheaval, the increasing debt burden and the cuts in development aid.

In his introductory speech Governor Scicluna underscored the importance of multilateral cooperation in overcoming the present challenges: "The geoeconomic fragmentation we witness appears more than a temporary disruption. It actually signals a fundamental shift requiring us all to extend our strategies beyond our traditional mandates. The gradual weakening of international cooperation, combined with the inherent vulnerabilities of developing Commonwealth countries, positions many of our central banks as the centre of resilience."

The outcomes of the meeting will serve as the basis for discussion at the Commonwealth Finance Ministers Meeting which will take place on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund/World Bank Group Annual Meetings in Washington, D.C. Malta will continue to work with the Commonwealth Secretariat as Chair during these meetings.