PRACTICE AREAS

Corporate & Company Law

Company Law in Malta flourished in 1996 when the Companies Act came into force; the largest single piece of legislation ever enacted in Malta. The Companies Act was modeled upon European Union Directives on Company Law and on Common Law principles of Corporate and Insolvency Law, introducing fresh notions within the domestic scenario. In 1994, Parliament has also enacted a number of laws providing the necessary legal and fiscal framework for the setting up of banking operations, collective investment business, insurance business and trust arrangements in Malta. Since the enactment of such legislation, Malta has been chosen by various foreign financial institutions as a location for the setting up of banks, financial institutions and investment funds, most of which operate at cross-border level. Legislation has also prominently catered for the setting up of a system for the continuation of companies (continuation in Malta of a foreign corporate entity and vice versa for purposes of re-domiciling activity); the setting up of international trade and holding companies in Malta by non-residents, which companies have replaced the previous offshore companies but which enjoy similar (or even improved) tax benefits; dissolution and winding up of companies.

The Firm’s focus in this area has traditionally been company formation (including mergers and acquisitions) and general administration both on the local as well as on the international level.