Insights

Corporate and M&A

EU ‘28th Regime’ Explained: A New Framework for Company Incorporation in Europe

On the 18 March 2026, the European Commission (‘the Commission’) announced a new and harmonised corporate legal regime, ‘EU Inc.’ touted as the ‘28th regime’. It is the European Union’s (‘EU’) response to fragmentation faced by companies registered in EU countries, caused by divergent national corporate regulations and the absence of sufficiently harmonised EU-level rules. It is intended to reinforce the EU single market by removing residual internal barriers. This initiative targets stakeholder concerns raised during consultation activities. Since persistent barriers lead to problematic issues and cause companies, especially smaller businesses, to incur additional costs, the Commission hopes the proposal…

Edmond Zammit Laferla and Sarah Bonnici3rd June 2026

Aviation

Cape Town Convention Compliance Index Q1 2026: Malta Among Top Ranked

In its first quarter 2026 report, Malta has once again achieved a high ranking, being placed first in Europe and second globally on the Cape Town Convention (CTC) Compliance Index. With a score of 95 out of 100, Malta was rated in the “Very High” category, confirming its strong position within the global aviation sector. Background to the Cape Town Convention The Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment and the Protocol on Matters Specific to Aircraft Equipment, signed in 2001 and ratified by Malta in 2010, was created to facilitate aircraft financing and leasing by introducing a harmonised set…

Joshua Chircop2nd June 2026

Capital Markets

ESMA Publishes Its 2025 Corporate Reporting Enforcement And Regulatory Activities Report

On 27 May 2026, the Malta Financial Services Authority ("MFSA") issued a circular drawing the attention of market participants to the publication by the European Securities and Markets Authority ("ESMA") of its 2025 Corporate Reporting Enforcement and Regulatory Activities Report (the "Report"). The Report sets out the findings of European enforcers' examination of listed companies' annual financial reports and identifies the common enforcement priorities that national competent authorities across the European Union and the European Economic Area will focus on in their supervisory activities. ESMA's enforcement programme is designed to promote the consistent application of International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS")…

Mamo TCV Advocates29th May 2026

Telecoms, Media & Technology

EU AI Act Update: What Will Apply From 2 August 2026 And What Is Being Postponed?

In a recent press release, the Council of the European Union announced that a provisional agreement on the Digital Omnibus Regulation on AI (hereinafter the “Omnibus”) was reached, introducing certain amendments to the EU AI Act (hereinafter the “Act”). Most notably, the provisional agreement revises the timeline for the applicability of certain provisions of the Act, particularly concerning the obligations applicable to high-risk AI systems. In this respect, the application of the obligations with respect to high-risk AI systems listed under Annex III of the Act would be postponed to 2 December 2027. For high-risk AI systems which are embedded…

Nicole Bonett28th May 2026

Banking & Finance FinTech

Payments Insights #6 – EU Legislative Drafting Status of PSD3 and PSR

When the Second Payment Services Directive ('PSD2') replaced the First Payment Services Directive, the EU had solidified the regulatory architecture governing payment services across the single market; and this has served the ecosystem well for the past decade. On 18th May 2026, the Chair of the European Parliament's Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs wrote to the EU Council Presidency to confirm that if the EU Council transmits its position on the Third Payment Services Directive (“Proposed PSD3”) and the Payment Services Regulation (“Proposed PSR”) in its current form, the Committee will recommend adoption at second reading without amendment. The…

Mario Mizzi27th May 2026

Investment Services & Funds

AI & Funds #7 – Applicability of EU AI Act

This seventh instalment in the AI & Funds series revisits the six previous briefings issued when the law was still in draft and provides a comparative legal analysis of how the EU framework on artificial intelligence, ultimately promulgated as Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (the "AI Act"), has settled in relation to investment funds. The AI Act has a staggered application schedule that culminates in August 2027. Article 50 of the AI Act on transparency is the section most likely to be relevant to investment funds in practice; and this becomes applicable in August 2026. The following six sections examine each prior…

Mario Mizzi25th May 2026