Malta has redefined its role within the international business community to one of initiative and success. The Island has been very successful in diversifying its economy away from traditional economic activity generators. By developing new sectors like ICT, iGaming, Pharmaceuticals and Financial Services, the economy is gearing these diverse operations to compete effectively in world markets.
Malta also continues to win business from more-established fund jurisdictions also. The island has benefited from a growing demand by investors for transparency as well as from fears among hedge funds that the EU was becoming increasingly hostile to firms based outside of it. Dozens of large U.K. hedge funds and funds of hedge funds have shifted part of their operations, including accounting and investor relations, to Malta. High quality global journalism requires investment.
The Mediterranean island is emerging alongside traditional rivals to London, such as Swiss towns Geneva and Zug, as another European location for hedge fund managers keen to maintain flexible operating arrangements and avoid heavy tax bills. “Setting the standard and constantly raising the bar,” Forbes recently wrote about Portomaso based brokerage firm EXANTE that in seeing a niche in the hedge fund marketplace have received much acclaim for their financial instruments, technology and products. The company was founded in March 2011. With offices in Singapore, Russia and Amsterdam the company has rapid expansion. EXANTE’s fund platform is a potential game changer for the industry as it gives investors the opportunity to invest directly in hedge funds,” stated Gatis Eglitis, one of EXANTE’s managing partners. “The critical factor is the ability to generate meaningful alpha – EXANTE is not too concerned about the types of strategies on the platform but rather their quality.
What counts when assessing a manager is audited historical performance, as this shows past volatility. If performance is exceptional, we first ensure that there is nothing hidden beneath the tip of the iceberg. When confirmed, we are happy to work with the hedge fund managers to list their fund.” Gracing the cover of The Financial Times is no mean feat, but EXANTE has managed to do this by marking another first in the world of Bitcoin investing, when they opened up their Automatic Trading Platform (ATP) for their landmark Bitcoin Fund to allow share trading by investors The well- established Bitcoin Fund was designed to institutionalize one of the most successful electronic currencies, Bitcoin. The purpose of the fund is to give an opportunity for professional investors and eligible counterparties to take an advantage of appreciation of the digital currency Bitcoin, which otherwise would not be possible. The growth of Malta’s fund industry has been so rapid that it was once feared whether Malta, with a population of just 414,000, has enough accountants and financial analysts to keep up with demand. In turbulent times around Europe it is great to see the Island fighting off its competitors within this sector.
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