About the Conference
Join us on the 23rd of June for the 2026 Camilleri Preziosi Capital Markets Conference, to be held in collaboration with the Malta Stock Exchange - the definitive annual gathering in the capital markets space.
Themed "Broadening Horizons," this year's conference brings together issuers, stockbrokers, non-executive directors, advisers, regulators, and other key participants in Malta's capital markets.
The programme will open with a stock-take of how Malta's capital markets have evolved over the past year, followed by a regulatory round-up of the latest developments shaping the market. From there, sessions will cover a wide range of practical topics — including:
- the EU's Savings and Investments Union and its implications for Malta's equity market;
- share buyback schemes;
- market abuse - rules and best practices;
- continuing obligations for Maltese issuers;
- the taxation of investment income;
- the local bond market - improvements to be pursued and plans for internationalisation.
The conference will also touch on upcoming areas of interest, with a particular focus on sustainable finance, tokenisation under MICA, and the growing role of AI in capital markets.
With a format combining presentations, panel discussions, and interactive breakout workshops, followed by a networking drinks reception, participants will have the opportunity to engage directly with speakers and fellow attendees.
This event has been accredited with 4.5 hours of structured CPE qualifying under Core competency as per the Accountancy Board Accreditation Rules.
Agenda
13:00 – 13:30 Registration of participants
13:30 – 13:45 Welcome address: a year on – progress, priorities, and the road ahead for Malta's capital markets
A reflection on how Malta's capital markets landscape has developed — and where it has stood still — since last year’s conference, taking stock of key developments and milestones, but also of areas where progress has been slower than hoped. The address will also set the scene for the sessions ahead, outlining the themes and topics to be explored throughout the conference.
Speakers: Joseph Portelli (Malta Stock Exchange plc) and Malcolm Falzon (Camilleri Preziosi)
13:45 – 14:00 Regulatory Round-Up: trends and updates shaping Malta's capital markets
A presentation surveying the latest developments across Malta's capital markets landscape, from fund listings and the internationalisation of the MSE to equity market reforms, green bonds, and emerging themes in digital assets and AI. The session will also address key regulatory changes at European level, and assess their potential practical impact on issuers and market participants.
Speaker: Nicola Buhagiar (Camilleri Preziosi)
14:00 – 14:40 Equity market in the age of the Savings and Investments Union: seizing the moment
A panel discussion on how Malta can position itself to capitalise on major EU-level initiatives — in particular the Savings and Investments Union — to deepen its equity market, attract new issuers, and broaden retail investor participation. The panel will explore the practical challenges and opportunities these initiatives present for Maltese stakeholders, and what needs to happen to turn policy ambition into market reality, taking into account initiatives adopted to date by the Malta Stock Exchange.
Moderator: Louis de Gabriele (Camilleri Preziosi)
Panellists: Joseph Portelli (Malta Stock Exchange plc), Christopher Buttigieg (Malta Financial Services Authority), Edward Rizzo (Rizzo, Farrugia & Co. (Stockbrokers) Ltd), Patrick Debattista (financial consultant and educator).
14:40 – 15:00 Inside the grey zone: MAR pressure points for Issuers and Advisers
A presentation exploring the practical challenges and ambiguities issuers and their advisers face when navigating the Market Abuse Regulation's requirements around inside information, disclosure timing, and market soundings.
Speaker: Louisa Firman (Camilleri Preziosi)
15:00 – 15:40 Share Buy-Backs: getting it right — strategy, regulation, and the local experience
A session exploring the growing use of share buy-backs in Malta's equity market — from the theoretical case for enhancing liquidity and shareholder value, to the practical challenges of pricing a buy-back and staying on the right side of the market abuse rules. The session will examine the MAR Safe Harbour regime and the MFSA's guidance on its application to Maltese issuers and draw on local use cases to assess what works in practice.
Moderator: Matthew Booker (Camilleri Preziosi)
Panellists: Simon Zammit (Malta Stock Exchange plc), Isaac Giordmaina (Malta Financial Services Authority), Jean Carl Grech (Bank of Valletta plc), David Wain (AX Real Estate plc), Nicola Buhagiar (Camilleri Preziosi)
15:40 – 16:00 Coffee break
16:00 – 17:10 | Breakout Sessions
Breakout A | NED Clinic – boardroom realities: governance perspectives from non-executive directors
A panel discussion addressing the key duties, responsibilities, and practical challenges facing non-executive directors serving on the boards of listed companies. Drawing on the panellists' first-hand experience, the session will explore the real-world governance dilemmas NEDs encounter in discharging their role.
Moderator: Etienne Borg Cardona (Chair, IFSP Malta Directors Chapter)
Panellists: Robert C. Aquilina (Salvo Grima Group), Jackie Briffa (Alf Mizzi and Sons Ltd), Anthony S. Diacono (MedservRegis Plc)
Breakout B | Workshop: continuing obligations under the Capital Markets Rules
An interactive workshop designed for directors and C-suite executives of listed companies, focusing on the practical application of continuing obligations under the Capital Markets Rules, including triggers for company announcements, website disclosure requirements, and PDMR and PCA notification duties, and their interplay with the Market Abuse Regulation. The workshop will feature two engagements with the MFSA: a presentation-led discussion covering the Authority's evolving expectations of issuers and its recent guidance on the standard of company announcements; followed by a fireside chat exploring the MFSA's inspection programme of Audit Committees and Boards of Directors, offering candid insight into supervisory findings and governance expectations in practice.
Moderator: Liam Axisa (Camilleri Preziosi)
Panellists: Gabriel Aquilina (Malta Financial Services Authority), Francesca Grech (Malta Financial Services Authority)
Breakout C | Taxation of Investment Income: Should tax drive investment decisions?
A presentation examining the Maltese tax treatment of investment income across asset classes — including interest and capital gains on local and foreign bonds, dividends and capital gains on local and foreign equities, and the tax implications of investing in local and foreign ETFs. The session will also touch on the emerging question of capital gains on crypto-assets, and will conclude with practical case studies designed to prompt audience discussion on whether tax considerations should — or do — drive investment decisions.
Presenters: Kirsten Debono Huskinson (Camilleri Preziosi), Matthew Booker (Camilleri Preziosi)
17:10 – 17:15 Relocation Break
17:15 – 17:30 Beyond the horizon: ESG, Tokenisation, and AI — what's next for Maltese Issuers?
A presentation casting an eye to the future of Malta's capital markets through the lens of three converging trends. First, the session will assess where sustainable finance is heading as Europe balances ambition with simplification and Malta considers introducing a more comprehensive framework. Second, it will explore how tokenisation and the new MiCA regime could open alternative capital-raising routes and reshape market infrastructure. Third, it will consider the growing role of AI in capital markets operations — from disclosure drafting to regulatory compliance — and the governance questions it raises. The session aims to equip participants with a practical sense of what is coming and how to stay ahead.
17:30 – 18:20 Brokers' Roundtable: the local Bond Market - improvements to be pursued and plans for internationalisation.
A forward-looking roundtable discussion with Malta’s leading stockbrokers and the MFSA’s Head of Capital Markets Supervision, examining the growing trend of the Malta Stock Exchange being used as a venue to finance foreign projects and assets, and how to grow the pipeline further. The session will explore how the local bond market is evolving beyond its traditional focus on domestic, predominantly property-related issuances, drawing on recent examples of cross-border transactions to illustrate the broadening scope and appeal of the MSE, and touching upon recent proposals for change made by the Malta Financial Services Advisory Council’ s capital markets working group. The panel will also consider whether this trend reflects – or should induce - a shift in the MFSA's risk appetite, and what it signals for the future direction of Malta's bond market.
Moderator: Malcolm Falzon (Camilleri Preziosi)
Panellists: David Curmi (Curmi & Partners Ltd), Patrick Mangion (Calamatta Cuschieri), Jesmond Mizzi (Jesmond Mizzi Financial Advisors Ltd), Evan Mohnani (MZ Investments Services Ltd), Vincent Rizzo (Rizzo Farrugia & Co (Stockbrokers) Ltd), Lorraine Vella (Malta Financial Services Authority)
18:20 - 18:30 Closing remarks
Speaker: Louis de Gabriele (Camilleri Preziosi)18:30 onwards Networking drinks reception