Malta Advances Its Digital Finance Ambitions with Expert-Led AI and Crypto Training

The Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) has launched a series of four specialised, in-person masterclasses designed to equip the country's financial services professionals with the practical tools needed to keep pace with rapid regulatory and technological change. This is in direct response to the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) transitional period officially ending on 1 July 2026. 

The series opens on 1 July 2026 with the Crypto and Blockchain Fundamentals workshop, led by Ioannis Revolidis, Director of the Centre for Distributed Ledger Technologies at the University of Malta. The session offers a practical look at tokenisation trends, stablecoins and digital asset ecosystems, giving attendees a framework for identifying emerging risks and understanding supervisory expectations under MiCA.

The 29 July session is focused on MiCA and supervising Crypto-Assets Service Providers (CASPs). It features Giles Swan, European Public Policy Adviser at the Crypto Council for Innovation. It is designed for those assessing the compliance, governance and control architecture of CASPs, providing evidence-based assessment techniques for local practitioners.

The programme also turns to AI, which is now embedded in credit scoring, transaction monitoring and algorithmic trading. On 17 July, the MFSA will host Spotting AI System Vulnerabilities, delivered by Maria Lucia Passador, Assistant Professor of Corporate Law and Financial Markets Regulation at Bocconi University. The workshop equips supervisory staff and policy specialists with analytical tools to identify and manage model opacity, data bias and vendor concentration risks under the EU Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act, GDPR and Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA).

Professor Passador returns on 14 October to close the series with AI in Trading and Operational Systems, examining the relationship between AI deployment and prudential supervision, with a focus on liquidity optimisation, compliance automation and market integrity.

All four courses will be held in person at the MFSA Conference Room, combining presentation materials, reading resources and case studies. The curriculum has been tailored for financial supervisors, banking executives, risk and compliance professionals, and legal advisers. With a workshop-style format and limited seating, the MFSA has encouraged industry professionals to register early.

By bringing together international expertise and local knowledge, the masterclass series reinforces Malta's reputation as a forward-looking jurisdiction committed to innovation, compliance and sustainable growth in financial technology, and signals the country's intent to remain a serious centre for FinTech as the regulatory landscape continues to evolve.