Courses

Participants will learn the basic investing concepts, the many different variations of traditional investments available and which type of investments are most suitable for their needs. The course will delve into the history of the capital markets, their role in the economy, the different types of markets, and the activities of exchanges. Participants will also learn about the difference between bonds and equities, what they are, their special characteristics and terminology, how they are priced and the risks of owning such investments. Students will also learn about various investment styles such as value, growth, and fund investing. Students will be taught how to and why they should take a critical look at all investing options based on sound risk/reward assumptions.

This course aims to provide a high-level overview of Environmental (E), Social (S) and Governance (G) criteria (ESG), and will serve as a general introduction to this fast-growing and ever-changing sector. The course will be informally split into three distinct sections; the first of which will largely focus on the main tenets of ESG: what it means, what it seeks to achieve and its development through time. The second section of this course will focus on the pertinent regulatory developments in the ESG sector, including the Taxonomy Regulation, the Sustainable Finance Disclosures Regulation (SFDR) and the upcoming Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), and their implications on market players falling within their scope. The third and final section of this course will then seek to provide examples of the practical applicability of ESG both locally and internationally, and will further explore what the future holds for this expanding sector.

Students will learn how trusts are legal relationship created by one party and places assets under the control of another party referred to as the trustee for the benefit of the beneficiary. Participants will learn the intricacies of trusts, and the legal and tax ramification of their setup. There will also be discussions related to how to properly craft trust deeds and articulate the powers of trustees. Also students will learn why trusts are formed such as for the protection of assets or estate planning and why trustee independence helps avoid any suggestion that the settlor  continues to have control of the trust assets.

This course covers the fundamentals of securitisation and key features of structures typically adopted, following a brief introduction setting the context for the prevailing state of affairs over a decade after the global financial crisis from which securitisation as an alternative method for financing emerged severely bruised. The course will delve into the different types of securitisation transactions and the players involved, as well as provide an overview of the relevant regulatory framework at both European and local levels. The lecturer will then explore the more intricate elements of securitisation, including the advantages inherent in securitisation transactions, such as true sale, bankruptcy remoteness and the possibility of forming securitisation cell companies and innovative structures, such as reinsurance special purpose vehicles. The course will conclude with a commentary on what the future holds for securitisation in Malta.

Raising capital is a difficult but essential part of running Capital markets - practical issues any business. Even the most creative ideas or business plans can only get you so far. It is therefore inevitable that businesses will need funding in order to grow. Although one of the biggest challenges businesses face is raising finance, various options exist and businesses can raise capital through capital markets, bank finance, private placements or business angels amongst others. The training session will give an overview of all sources of finance, focusing more on the capital markets available in Malta, and the practical issues encountered when raising finance and how business go around them.

Whether at top executive, middle management or even  junior administrator level, conveying information, a message  or even intent clearly, flawlessly and in appropriate detail  is critical for getting the message across, establishing  attention, winning business and building continued success.  Business writing must form a credible basis upon which  sound decisions may be taken. In this regard, besides  communicating information accurately in an appropriate  format, effective business writing demonstrates rationale,  enhances credibility, carries influential impact, and conveys  suitable courtesy. All powerful determinants for maintaining  interest, rapport and enhancing sustainable achievement in  the world of business.  This short course gives practitioners, managers and  administrators insights into sharpening and enhancing their   business writing and communication skills in multiple and  varied business contexts such as writing with impact and  garnering results, drawing up reports as a sound basis for  decision-making and outcome reporting, minute taking as  well as delivering and presenting to an audience.

This course will provide an introduction to basic capital  markets concepts and terminology, the fundamental  considerations (and quid pro quo analysis) that any  company offering securities to the public to the first  time needs to keep in mind. Participants will be given a  general understanding of the listing process, the various  parties involved and all the relevant Maltese and EU  legal and regulatory requirements that issuers must  comply with, both prior to listing and on an ongoing  basis. Practical examples will be provided throughout the  course to better illustrate the issues being discussed.

/Many individuals hold investments in property as well as shareholding in companies. There are several instances when shares exchange hands for one reason or another, and of course property is an asset that is easily and often sold or transferred to a third party for one reason or another. This course will delve into the capital tax treatment on the transfer of shares in companies, as well as the tax implications of property transfers. The capital gains tax rates that apply depending on the circumstances, their calculation, and any exemptions that may be applied will be explained in ‘plain English’ and non-technical terms.  The course will also address c apital gains taxation on shares traded on international exchanges  

Participants will be introduced to the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA). The European Commission (EC) prioritised making Europe fit for the digital age by building a future-ready economy. The Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) supports a new digital finance strategy to ensure that the EU embraces the digital revolution and drives it with innovative European firms in the lead. The regulation covers a range of financial institutions that are regulated at the EU level to ensure consistency among the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) risk-management requirements that are applicable to the financial sector. This course will explain the objectives of DORA and cover the key obligations under this new directive.

This course covers material relating to structured products also known as market linked investments or synthetic investment instruments which are designed to facilitate highly bespoke risk and return objectives. Students will learn how investment banks pre-package financial instruments using derivatives, a basket of securities, single securities, and other capital market products. Participants will learn that structured products are normally used as a low cost alternative to a direct investment as part of the asset allocation process or to hedge risk found within an investment portfolio. 

‘Beneficial owner’ means any natural person who ultimately owns or controls a legal entity or express trust or similar legal arrangement, as well as any natural person on whose behalf or for the benefit of whom a transaction or activity is being conducted. Beneficial ownership transparency is an item of high priority at a global, EU and local level. In view of Malta’s previous greylisting, beneficial ownership concealment has been a high-priority agenda item locally, with a number of thematic visits taking place by the regulator. This area is fundamental to AML and needs to be given due importance; this course will help compliance practitioners to carry out their role more effectively.

This session will provide an in-depth look at the continuing disclosure obligations emanating from Chapter 5 of the Capital Markets Rules applicable to Issuers in terms of the said Rules. This session will cover both periodic financial reporting as well as ad hoc disclosure obligations, and should be particularly relevant to equity and debt issuers listed on the main market of the Malta Stock Exchange as well as entities contemplating listing.

This interactive course will help attendees to understand what anxiety is and will outline some simple yet very effective ways of managing anxiety. The attendees will also  learn about the various causes of anxiety, the cycle of anxiety and the difference between anxiety and stress. There will be an in depth discussion on how to find ways of breaking the cycle, with a spotlight on mindfulness, and challenging unhelpful thoughts. This very useful course is ideal for persons who are trying to cope with the current pandemic circumstances and will help them to cope with the current environment as well as with life’s stressful everyday circumstances.  

This course will delve into the regulatory universe applicable to Company Service Providers (CSPs) in Malta, paying particular attention to the role of the regulatory Compliance Officer in line with the MFSA’s expectations. The course aims to provide attendees with an understanding of the core function of the Compliance Officer, as a key officer within a CSP, tasked with implementing a sound compliance function, monitoring the latter’s viability and escalating any identified deficiencies to the Board for action.

In terms of the PLMFTR, subject persons are required to identify and assess the risks of money laundering and terrorist financing their businesses are exposed to. In doing so, subject persons need to reflect these risks in their BRA, taking into consideration any risk exposure identified during the assessments of the JRA and any client risks identified in the CRA. These 3 important documents need to be linked so that a subject person can understand the risk exposures and take mitigating measures as necessary.

‘Compliance’ has become a contemporary business obsession.  However, we know that the fundamentals for success, engaged  growth and sustained competitiveness lie soundly beyond the  threshold of compliance. This applied masterclass goes beyond,  addressing the core of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and  business ethics – today critical differentiators for enduring success for  any business or organisation. Globalisation and internationalisation,  the quest for growth and increasingly intense competitive  environments, coupled with pervasive media presence and calls  for responsibility, transparency and accountability have universally  heightened the impact and implications of ethics and regulatory  pressures for businesses and organisations. Effective ethical  engagement and corporate social responsibility are instrumental  for sustainable competitiveness and continued growth - enduring  competitive advantage, and arguably, survival. This short course  equips practitioners with strategic and decisional insight and provides  interested persons among the general public a sound understanding  of key fundamentals underpinning ethical issues in human interaction  and managerial decision making - also within the broader context of  organisational behaviour and responsible corporate citizenship.      

The aim of this course is to provide an objective overview of the attributes of commercial property as a mainstream asset class and to lay down the theoretical foundations of investment decision-making, so that particular decisions regarding property investments can be made efficiently and rationally. Concepts and techniques included in this course and problem sets are used in many careers related to real estate. These include periti, real estate advisors and valuers, investors and developers, estate agents and CFOs. This material is also relevant to individuals who want to better understand real estate for their own personal investment decisions as it prepares the student to understand the risks and rewards associated with investing in and financing both residential and commercial real estate.

Open-ended funds and Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) have become very popular, cost-effective and efficient ways for investors to build diversified portfolios. Funds are widely used by investors and include a wide variety of assets including bonds equities, real-estate and commodities. This course will focus primarily on the different types of funds available to investors ranging from Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), to open-ended and closed-ended funds. The course will contrast ETFs versus traditional funds, differentiate between active and passive management, explain the prospectus, expense ratios and other key points.

This course offers students an introduction into the exciting and complex world of derivatives, securitisations and asset-backed securities. Students will learn about the pros, cons and structure and operations of the securitised bond markets. Fixed-income securities, credit risk, securitised lending, and asset-backed securities will be covered extensively. The basic processes of structuring ABS deals, including how to value them as well as the risk management process required to manage a portfolio of these instruments, will also be covered. 

Sustainable disclosures: is this another check box exercise that organisations have been burdened with? This course will delve into the concept of sustainability, its importance and the different ways one can look at unlocking the benefits associated with sustainability through ESG reporting. Before the actual reporting can start, an organisation should be aware of what its material topics are, in other words what topics it should be reporting on. The concept of materiality will be explained with practical examples of sector specific impacts and relevant guides to support organisations through this process. Once organisations have a clear understanding of their most material impacts, they are well positioned to start their sustainability journey and make the necessary changes to reduce their impacts. This begins with understanding what relevant standards and benchmarks are available, and mapping this to the organisation’s current processes. Finally attendees will receive practical guidance on how to communicate these material impacts to stakeholders, including guiding principles on accountability and transparency so as to avoid green and social washing.