In Focus Archives - Page 2 of 10 - New European Economy

Malta – A Lucrative Ecosystem For Startups

Categories: Cover Story, In Focus

Malta has recently launched a residency programme for highly innovative startup and scale up ventures. Non-EU founders who would like to use Malta as their launch pad for their new business, from its strategic location in Europe, now have a viable relocation opportunity, designed specifically for this purpose. CEO Insight spoke to Charles Mizzi, Chief Executive Officer of Residency Malta, the government agency which administers the Programme, to find out about what opportunities await entrepreneurs willing to move.

CEO Insight: What is the purpose behind launching the Malta Startup Residence Programme? What will it serve to add to Malta’s existing programme portfolio?

Charles Mizzi: This new Programme is intended to attract more highly innovative startup businesses to our shores, thereby adding to the country’s existing startup ecosystem while attracting skills and talent and boosting our local economy. This 3+5-year residency programme is specifically designed for non-EU entrepreneurs with highly innovative startups with the aim is to facilitate the immigration process so that founders can fully focus on growing their business, rather than having the strain to renew their residency permits annually. We understand that the first three years are crucial for startups, and this programme helps founders to focus entirely on their operations from a comfortable location. As with all the programmes Residency Malta offers, we are after quality applicants who have viable business projects with disruptive products or services

European Payments Initiative Size-Down:

Categories: In Focus, Insight

Initially backed by 31 major Eurozone banks, the EPI has abandoned its agenda of creating a pan-European payments scheme, rivaling global payments processors. Having 20 banks opt out, the remaining institutions are expected to shift focus to creating a digital wallet.

Entering The Metaverse

Categories: In Focus, Leading Lights

With several positive organizational changes within global retailer Skechers, Maxim Manturov, Head of Investment Advice at Freedom Finance Europe, covers why Skechers growth potential increase makes it an optimal choice for investors.

Skechers (SKH) is an American manufacturer of affordable, and comfortable footwear. The company’s products are sold in 180 countries around the world and as of 2021, had 4,306 Skechers stores worldwide. In fact, the international market is Skechers highest growth category and represents over half of their total business.

Automation is Transforming Agriculture

Categories: In Focus

Traditionally, farming evokes images of hard labour and toiling in the sun. While that has not entirely changed, the people (or should we say “things”) doing the toiling and hard labour, are changing rapidly. We are fast moving to an age of automated farming, and not the type of automation you may imagine with big dirty machines and extremely costly infrastructure. Instead, by harnessing the power of AI, big data and existing and emerging technologies, the tech revolution is now coming to farms and its win-win for all.

Bank Guarantees Vs. Credit Insurance – What’s the Difference?

Categories: In Focus

Various mechanisms exist to help protect both exporters and importers from the risk of default, both in terms of payment and the supply of goods or services. Bank guarantees and credit insurance are two such commonly used mechanisms, particularly when letters of credit (LCs) are not used. While both provide similar protections, there are some important differences between the two.

Bank Guarantees
As the name implies, a bank guarantee is a formal arrangement where a bank guarantees a particular payment; in the case of international trade, an exporter’s accounts receivable or an importer’s advances paid in lieu of goods receivable.

Rising Indian Exports of Light Vessels, Fire Boats & Floating Docks

Categories: In Focus, Leading Lights

India’s ship building industry is experiencing significant growth in the export of light vessels, fire boats & floating docks, based on healthy increases in 2019 export figures. These vessels and floating structures come under Commodity Group 8905 in the UN Harmonized System Codes and are defined as, “Light-vessels, fire-floats, dredgers, floating cranes and other vessels, the navigability of which is subsidiary to their main function; floating docks; floating or submersible drilling or production platforms”. They are used the world over for aquatic transport, development and support activities.

How and Why to Become a Citizen of Antigua & Barbuda

Categories: Cover Story, In Focus

We talk to Charmaine Quinland-Donovan, CEO of the world’s leading Citizenship by Investment Programme in Antigua and Barbuda about how the Unit she heads up continues to successfully respond and adapt to any and all challenges. When blended with a famously proactive operational and strategic approach that sees investment criteria constantly reviewed and upgraded to ensure the programme remains best in class, it is small wonder citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda is proving to be more popular than ever before for investors from across the globe.

Are The Traditional Investment Portfolio Allocations Still Relevant?

Categories: Cover Story, In Focus

There has been much debate around whether there is still a place for traditional portfolios made up of 60% equities and 40% bonds. We believe that asset allocators have already in recent years moved considerably away from the traditional 60/40 portfolio and this trend looks set to continue.