Parallels is an international software company, which has been in Malta since 2015. The company has now set its sights on expanding its B2B business, says Nikolay Dobrovolskiy, co-founder and Vice President of Parallels.

Maintaining the integrity of Malta's economic citizenship programme is perhaps the greatest challenge that the country faces, writes Parliamentary Secretary for Reforms, Citizenship and Simplification of Administrative Processes Julia Farrugia Portelli.

Residence-by-investment and citizenship-by-investment programmes have played a direct role in boosting a country’s economy in the majority of instances, says Roderick Cutajar, CEO of the Malta Residency Visa Agency (MRVA).

The investment migration industry is going through an exciting growth phase that is not without its challenges. One of the industry’s biggest issues is that it is still largely unregulated, says Dr Christian Kälin, Group Chairman and CEO of Henley & Partners.

Malta’s Individual Investor Programme (IIP) is the first CBI programme in the EU to be endorsed by the European Commission. It is considered to have the best due diligence procedures in the industry. Jonathan Cardona, CEO of the Malta Individual Investor Programme Agency, shares his thoughts on best practice in the investment migration industry.

The Maltese manufacturing industry continues to react very well to changes in technology, diversifying from low skilled labour-intensive jobs to more flexible, agile and higher skilled jobs, says Edward Chetcuti of De La Rue.

First things first: US firm Steward Health Care, which in 2018 took over the concession for the operation of three hospitals from Vitals Global Healthcare, says it is fully focused on overhauling Malta’s hospital infrastructure before seeking to attract medical tourists to the island, says Armin Ernst, President of Steward Health Care International.

"Mentoring young talents and helping them in the development of their career aspirations inspires me to share my experiences". This is what motivates Jeremy Remacha to get to the office in the morning, as he reveals in his Executive Bio.

"My colleagues, my clients and the butterflies that come with facing a new challenge". This is what motivates Russell Mifsud to get to the office in the morning, as he reveals in his Executive Bio.

2018 is a game-changing year for banks and payment services providers as the Payments Services Directive 2 (PSD2) came into effect on January, 13. The new EU Directive aims to increase innovation, transparency and competition within the sector, requiring European banks to open their infrastructures to licensed third-party providers. This will enable more companies to get into the payments space, says Steve Grech, Chairman of the recently launched Financial Institutions Malta Association (FIMA).

Listening to the iGaming industry’s concerns is one of Silvio Schembri’s biggest priorities. The Parliamentary Secretary for Financial Services, Digital Economy & Innovation says that Malta wants to develop new talent within the industry while positioning itself as an international hub for DLT and blockchain operators.

Patrick Streppel, CEO of games publisher Insel Games, says that the sheer flood of new games makes it very difficult to gain players’ attention these days, while the use of in-app purchases means a game has to motivate people to keep on spending money.

David Hawkins, Managing Director of Exient, says that if iGaming companies want to offer a more entertaining experience to their players, they should look to the video-gaming industry for inspiration.

Alan Craig, Partner of Mazars Malta, says that good corporate governance has become a top priority of many iGaming companies. He believes that the majority of iGaming operators just need to tweak their systems in order to comply with the upcoming General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Harald Rösch, CEO of telecoms operator Melita, intends to give Malta the best telecoms infrastructure in Europe.