In the middle of the Mediterranean sea, just beneath Italy, the European Union hides its best kept secret – a jewel by the name of Malta. This archipelago, comprised of three islands, Malta, Gozo and Comino, may deceive you by its tiny size (the main island extends 316 sq.km.), for its economy has grown exponentially in the past 10 years – considerably surpassing its much larger European neighbours. The Malta Government has recently stated that, “European Commission experts forecast that Malta will have a 5.6% economic growth rate in 2018, and 4.5% in 2019.”
Today Malta has a population of 432,000 and is home to 30,000 expats from around the world who are employed in multiple sectors, the main ones being gaming, financial services and construction. Rankings published earlier this year in the international InterNations Expat Insider survey, have placed Malta amongst the top 10 countries for good work-life balance and seventh as an overall as a destination for expats (12,500 respondents living in 188 countries). In 2017, the same survey quoted respondents’ replies for Malta as an ideal destination for a good quality of life, welcoming locals, warm weather and sea, choice of leisure activities, safety and security, and overall personal happiness.
As though the above was not enough, we can add that Malta’s other riches lie in its deeply rooted history dating as far back as 5900BC, and having been a British colony for over 150 years, Malta adopted the English language as its second language. In addition, the 2017-2018 Global Competitive Index ranked Malta 11th for overall health and education.
Malta has firmly established itself as a country which favours and facilitates foreign investment. Its location, and easy access to all major international airports have all contributed to foreign firms, as well as families seeking to relocate, choosing Malta as their main base. Malta offers an advantageous tax system and several relocation programmes such as the Residency & Visa and Global Residence programmes for non-EU citizens, as well as the Individual Investor Programme (IIP) which offers citizenship in a EU Member State.
If you think investing in Malta for business purposes, retirement, relocation, or simply a holiday home, may be something you are interested in, the largest Maltese real estate agency – Frank Salt Real Estate – will be visiting South Africa for the 15th consecutive year to talk more about the benefits of their island life and the processes involved according to one’s choice of investment. Seminars are being organized with Malta law firm EMD and South African partners Seeff and MaltaLifestyle. They will be held as follows:
- Durban: 16th October 2018 at The Oyster Box Hotel – 14h30 and 18h00
- Cape Town: 18th October 2018 at the Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel – 14h30 and 18h00
- Johannesburg: 22nd October 2018 at the Protea Hotel Wanderers – 14h30 and 18h00