The Hon. Tonio Fenech, Minister of Finance, the Economy and Investment for Malta, has recently underlined the quick expansion of the investment funds sector in Malta. Up till March 2012, the number of funds domiciled and continued in Malta was pushing the 1000 mark, more than half of this number is accounted for over the last year alone.
Malta’s reputation as a hedge fund domicile was established with the island’s accession to the European Union in May 2004. Back then, only four hedge funds were domiciled in Malta. Currently, over 400 investment services licenses have been issued.
The number of Malta registered funds is constantly on the increase. To date 75% of Malta funds have also opted for the local specialised, professional and motivated work force, thereby also taking advantage of the low cost environment, as a source for servicing their funds’ needs. The growth in the sector is mirrored in the positive ranking Malta has achieved globally by the World Economic Forum, ranking 15th on the scale of developed financial services sectors, on a par with Singapore, Switzerland and Luxembourg.
