Businesses are being reminded that wage supplement beneficiaries are to reply to MAY confirmation emails by not later than Saturday 25th June. This deadline also applies to Rent and Electricity Refund Schemes.
For more information you may send an email on or call on 144.
National Lottery plc a subsidiary of the IZI Group and the new operator of the National Lottery of Malta as from July 5th, 2022, has announced in a joint statement with the representatives of the national lottery agents, that it has concluded an agency agreement that will regulate the business relationship between the parties for the next 10 years.
The process at reaching this milestone commenced in late 2021 when the representatives of the national lottery agents, the Lotto Receivers Union (LRU) and the Gaming & Lotteries Agents Association (GLAA) had both endorsed the bid submitted by National Lottery plc for the Request for Proposals (RFP) process through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
Over the last months, since being declared as preferred bidder, National Lottery plc, the LRU, GLAA and Malta Chamber of SMEs entered discussions with the aim of concluding an agency agreement for the duration of the concession term, aimed at strengthening the relationship between the parties.
(From left to right) Marco Rossi, President, LRU, Abigail Agius Mamo CEO at the Malta Chamber of SMEs, Johann Schembri, CEO, National Lottery plc, Conrad De Giorgio, General Secretary, GLAA and Joseph Farrugia, President, GLAA.
“It is our pleasure to announce that after months of discussions, National Lottery plc and the lottery agents’ representatives, namely the LRU and the GLAA with the sterling support of the Malta Chamber of SME’s have sealed the terms of the agency agreement for the next 10 years. This agreement will allow for the modernisation of the national lottery retail network through substantial investments in technology and content delivery, as well as a general refurbishment programme to bring the retail network in line with European benchmarks over the next eighteen (18) months,” said Johann Schembri – Chief Executive Officer of National Lottery plc.
“Retail distribution has always been considered as one of the strategic pillars of the National Lottery, and through our investment in technology, the adoption of new work practices and the joint refurbishment investment programme, we are establishing a forward-looking framework that will facilitate the growth of the national lottery while improving the livelihood of hundreds of families,” Schembri added.
“I want to personally thank the LRU, GLAA and Malta Chamber of SMEs for their professionalism and hard work that enabled the conclusion of this very important process,” concluded Schembri.
From their part the LRU, GLAA and the Malta Chamber of SMEs also expressed their satisfaction that this process was successfully completed in a timely and equitable manner.
“We are very excited for the commencement of this new national lottery concession under the stewardship of National Lottery plc”, said Marco Rossi – President of the LRU.
“We have secured an agency agreement that provides good prospects for our members. Adapting to change is never easy, but we all truly understand that a proper investment programme was needed, and we found National Lottery plc open to such an investment in the retail network. Our members have endorsed this agreement that will enable growth for the national lottery over the years to come for the joint benefit of all those involved in the national lottery ecosystem.”
The representatives of the GLAA have also noted with satisfaction that National Lottery plc gave the opportunity to their association to participate in this important process from the very first days.
“After weeks of negotiations we feel that we have reached a good consensus on the agreement for the benefit of all our members, thanks to the goodwill and commitment shown from National Lottery plc. This new operation instils in us more pride, as for the first time in history it will be operated by a fully owned Maltese company, providing a service by the Maltese to the Maltese” denoted Joseph Farrugia – President of the GLAA.
Conrad De Giorgio – General Secretary of the GLAA said that the GLAA is looking forward to an exciting ten years of operation with National Lottery plc. “We strongly believe that the Maltese Public will be offered a product of the highest standard and will give an opportunity to agents to flourish in their businesses” concluded De Giorgio.
Abigail Agius Mamo – the CEO at the Malta Chamber of SMEs said that it is evident how driven and ambitious the new operators of the National Lottery of Malta are. “The Malta Chamber of SMEs is pleased to have been able to successfully close discussions, with enough confidence to encourage agents to seize the opportunity of what this new chapter has in hold for them. The coming ten years augur for an exciting and rewarding journey. It is critical for everyone to continue on the tone of the discussions and work together in good faith. I thank National Lottery plc, our joint representative committee made up of LRU and GLAA officials and the Malta Gaming Authority for their support throughout the discussions, all of which were essential for the successful closure of this ten-year agreement”.
National Lottery plc will take over from Maltco Lotteries on July 5th, 2022, with the first live draw taking place on Saturday July 9th, 2022, for the popular Saturday Lotto draw.
The SME Chamber’s VRT Sector has this week held its Annual General Meeting.
A number of important topics were discussed including upgrades required by an EU Directive, the viability of the sector, increasing the levels of proficiency and difficulties with Human Resources.
The SME Chamber was represented by its CEO Ms Abigail Agius Mamo and Ms Liz Said and VRT sector was represented by Mr Michael Buhagiar and Mr Daniel Cutajar.
The Malta Chamber of SMEs is very pleased that Malta is no longer Grey Listed.
The day that Malta was Grey Listed was a very sad day for the whole country. We are now overjoyed to have successfully closed this matter. Malta’s name has been officially cleared.
While the repercussions of the Grey Listing in terms of Malta’s reputation will not be restored in the immediate and will take more work and goodwill from the government in general and all of us to rebuild, this is certainly the most important first step.
Businesses operating in Malta were always very proud to showcase the country they work in, carrying Malta’s name on their sleeve. Businesses and the SME Chamber, as their representative, can now do this without feeling the weight that being a Grey Listed country carries. The Malta Chamber of SMEs will continue working to rebuild Malta’s reputation and support any initiative in this regard.
Malta’s unfortunate Grey Listing episode should serve as a lesson to all of us for a very long time. We augur that Malta will continue making strides in this regard and work to become a country of excellence for good governance, combating corruption and Money Laundering and Financing Terrorism.
The Malta Chamber of SMEs organised a successful webinar in collaboration with the Inland Revenue on repaying deferred taxes and online tools.
3 officials from the office of the Commissioner for Revenue explained the repayment method of Covid deferred taxes, the duration and operational procedure.
CFR officials also explained the online tools available for businesses.
Participants had the opportunity to ask questions during this webinar which was recorded and is avaialable for members.
Should you need to view the recording for this webinar, contact Fabian Demicoli on
The SME community turned out in droves to the first edition of The Scrum, a networking event organised by Epic for Business and Malta Chamber of SMEs. Conceived and created by Epic, The Scrum is a platform of innovation aimed at SMEs on how to supercharge and be future ready with the best connectivity for their digital transformation. The event was moderated by Malta Chamber of SMEs with contributions from Epic CEO Tamas Banyai and CMO Karl Galea. The panel, mediated by Malta Chamber of SMEs CEO Abigail Mamo, included Professor Alexiei Dingli, Mr. Cain Grech, representing Malta Enterprise, and Mr. Kenneth Rizzo Naudi from Epic’s Business Solutions team.
The event presented an excellent opportunity for SMEs to find out more about the need to create a safe work environment, provide connected experiences, and focus on building more meaningful relationships through personalised communications. During his presentation, Epic CMO Karl Galea demonstrated how smaller firms can use technology to punch above their weight and win the work, presenting findings which yielded some interesting figures. 97% of Malta based enterprises with 10 or more employees rely on Internet connectivity, with speed, reliability, and security the three main concerns for most SMEs. At least 31% of local companies are attacked by cybercriminals at least once a day* and a staggering 1500 cases related to cybercrime are investigated by the Malta Police in just one year**. And finally, the cost of not being online for one day only incurs costs of approximately €1m for Malta’s enterprises.
Building on the presentations, those present went on to discuss how to identify gaps and where to prioritize the processes to digitize. Companies can benefit from funds to audit and implement digital transformation in line with schemes such as Change to Grow by Malta Enterprise. Funding for the SMEs to be future ready is also being provided by the EU as part of its commitment to Malta.
“Today, digital readiness is not an option for businesses, it is a need” said Epic CEO Tamas Banyai. “Epic for Business, our dedicated unit for business customers, offers the right connectivity and managed services to ensure that businesses are future ready.”
This was the first in a series of events aimed at giving businesses the tools they need to take the next step in their digital journey. For more information send an email on
The Malta Chamber of SMEs in collaboration with Diligex – AML Compliance Specialists and The Sanctions Monitoring Board earlier today organised a webinar on the Effects of EU-Russia sanctions on Maltese businesses.
Our speakers explained businesses obligations and practical ways of how businesses should go about this.
The war between Russia and Ukraine has created global uneasiness and disfunction. Maltese businesses have certainly been impacted by the effects of the war, with one of the main direct impacts being the UN- and EU-imposed Sanctions on Russia and the resulting repercussions on EU businesses.
The relevant laws applicable in Malta prohibit ALL companies and individuals from conducting business, directly or indirectly, with any sanctioned persons and/or any of their direct or indirect business interest.
ALL types of business are to evaluate their sanctions obligations in relation to wherever they conduct business. The Sanctions pose substantial obligations on any EU business and heavy repercussions both on the Maltese business itself as well as Malta as an EU country.
The speakers explained the obligations and repercussions in place and explained practical ways of how businesses should go about this.
A record of 430 participants registered for this webinar.
The Malta Chamber of SMEs has been very vociferous in criticizing the banking situation in Malta. The matter is once again on the top national agenda for Malta and its policy makers.
The SME Chamber also announced results of a recent study among its members which shows how serious the situation is with access to financing and adequate banking services as a top pressing worry, claiming unjustified charges or bureaucracy as main hurdles to their business.
In an interview with Times of Malta, Malta Chamber of SMEs CEO Ms Abigail Agius Mamo said that businesses are being left hanging for months when applying to open a local bank account, with some being refused one altogether.
She insisted that “despite the introduction of new fees, business operators feel that the quality of customer service has worsened. Following two years of dealing with the repercussions of a pandemic and the Ukraine war, lack of cooperation from local banks is the last straw breaking the camel’s back,” Agius Mamo said.
She noted that with BOV being a dominant player in the banking sector, some 90% of the chamber’s members flagging concern over banking matters are BOV clients.
In 2013, the top five pressing problems flagged in a similar survey were not linked to banking. The concerns were business costs, late payments, competition, bureaucracy and keeping up with legislation.
Discussions with the authorities and the banks themselves are underway.
The Malta Chamber of SMEs and HSBC Malta Foundation organised the 3rd out of a series of 6 webinars entitled Sustainability for Small Businesses.
This was the third session out of a series of 6 which we will be organising throughout 2022.
Should you wish to join our next session please contact us on
