Pursuant to amendments to the Companies Act , the Companies Act (Shipping and Aviation Cell Companies) Regulations (the "Regulations") allow for the incorporation of cell companies that conduct shipping or aviation business. The Regulations also allow for the conversion of an existing company that conducts shipping or aviation business into a cell company. To understand what is meant by shipping or aviation business, please click here . A cell company may create one or more cells within itself for the purposes of segregating and protecting cellular assets. Each ce...

The President, by and with the advice and consent of the House of Representatives, has enacted Act No. XLVII of 2020 to amend the Second Schedule to the Civil Code, Chapter 16 of the Laws of Malta (the "Second Schedule"), and the Companies Act, Chapter 386 of the Laws of Malta, and to provide for related and ancillary provisions. The function of the Registrar for Legal Persons has now been assumed by the Registrar for Companies of the Malta Business Registry. The Registrar for Legal Persons previously fell under the purview of the Public Registry within Identity M...

Following the introduction of various measures across Member States due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including travel restrictions and border controls, passengers and transport operators are having to face cancellations and delays in transport. The European Commission has published the Interpretative Guidelines on EU passenger rights regulations in the context of the developing situation with Covid-19 (hereinafter referred to as the " Guidelines ") to ensure that EU passenger rights are applied consistently across the EU Member States. The Guidelines cover the rights...

Amendments have been made to the beneficial ownership regulations relating to trusts, foundations and associations together with other amendments to the principal AML/CFT regulations. The purpose of the majority of these amendments is to transpose Directive (EU) 2015/849 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 2015 on the prevention of the use of the financial system for the purposes of money laundering or terrorist financing as amended by Directive (EU) 2018/843 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 and other amending Direct...

The Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (the FIAU) has published an amended version of the Implementing Procedures Part 1, with changes taking effect from the 19 th July 2019 (the Amendments). The FIAU has announced that the Amendments intend to provide Subject Persons with more in-depth qualitative guidance to assist them in better fulfilling their Anti-Money Laundering and Combatting the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) obligations. This follows recent amendments to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act , Chapter 373 of the Laws of Malta (the PMLA) and th...