Category: Articles

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

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

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.

Gridlocked system is costing Malta’s economy millions 

The Malta Chamber of SMEs has been for months sounding the alarm and warning the authorities that if immediate action was not taken, Malta would end up in a human resource crisis. Unfortunately, the warnings have not been heeded in time and efforts have been too slow and have lacked any impact as the backlog in the Visa processing system has not been addressed. The pressures businesses are facing in terms of human resources is now unprecedented.

A recent study carried out by the SME Chamber has confirmed that the Human Resource crises stands at par with that of inflationary pressures for businesses. Malta is facing a very serious problem. The estimated cost on business and the economy as a whole runs up to several millions.

The main breakdown in the system rests in the processing by Malta’s High Commission Office in India. The High Commission in India handles visa applications from India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives, exceptionally important sources of personnel in the current circumstances and these are all in a state of deadlock at present.

Businesses have lost complete trust in the, contracted, appointment management system which is plagued by abuse from the numerous reports received regularly by businesses and visa applicants alike.

The visa processing system is archaic, lacks transparency and falls short, by far, of sufficient resources to handle the pressures required. This part of the process in applying for a work or study visa has paralysed the whole system.

The SME Chamber appreciates that the challenges contributing to this process are not small. We are however also certain that the main problem is that these challenges were already very well-known but have been shoved under the carpet for far too long. The situation is now not only not being managed but is out of control. This crisis needs drastic intervention. If one had to use the analogy of a patient, we cannot just treat a patient in critical condition and requiring immediate surgical intervention with a diet. The time to treat the patient with a diet is long past and the patient is now dying.

The SME Chamber calls on the authorities to immediately deploy the resources necessary to shorten the processing time.

The SME Chamber emphasises that it is in no way calling for any lax approaches or doing away with the necessary checks, but an immediate realisation that the system has broken down and unless we act efficiently and quickly our economy, which is trying to recuperate after two hard years, will continue to be dealt blows with every week of inaction.

Officials form the Malta Chamber of SMEs contunued to meet new Members of Parliament and shadow ministers with responsabilities which affect our members.

During todays meeting Malta Chamber of SMEs CEO Ms Abigail Agius Mamo, Head of Policy Andrew Aquilina and Head of EU Affairs and Communications Fabian Demicoli met Hon. Jerome Caruana Cilia, Opposition spokesperson for financial sector, taxation and financial services and Hon. Ivan Castillo, Opposition spokesperson for Maritime affairs, the Freeport, the ports, the national employment policy, the creation of jobs, Jobsplus and industrial relations.