MFSA Reports Stronger Regulatory Performance In 2025

The Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) has published its Annual Report 2025, and it has demonstrated how the Authority is growing in confidence and capability, even as the financial landscape it regulates becomes more complex.

Malta's financial services sector had a strong year. The number of authorised entities under MFSA supervision rose to 2,413, a 16% increase since 2021, and the Authority itself grew alongside them, expanding its team to keep pace with an increasingly sophisticated industry.

That growth matters beyond the numbers: financial services now account for 7.3% of Malta's total economic output, nearly double the euro area average, and support thousands of well-paid jobs across the country. The wider economy benefited too, growing 4.0% in 2025, comfortably outstripping the euro area's 1.4%.

Behind these results is a clear strategic direction. The MFSA's work in 2025 was shaped by five priorities: keeping regulation agile and responsive, strengthening the resilience of the financial system, reinforcing governance and compliance standards, embracing innovation and digital transformation, and deepening engagement with the public. Having set this course for the 2023–2025 period, the Authority has now chosen to extend it through 2026, a vote of confidence in the strategy's direction and a signal of continuity for the sector.

Innovation was a particular highlight. The introduction of the MiCA Rulebook in March 2025 helped guide firms through the transition from Malta's own Virtual Financial Assets framework to the EU's new Markets in Crypto-Assets regime, reaffirming Malta's reputation as a serious and forward-thinking hub for digital assets.

The Authority also worked hard to bring the public along with it. Website visits rose 70% year-on-year, reflecting growing interest in the MFSA's work, while 52 financial literacy initiatives, nearly double the previous year's, helped more people understand and engage with the financial system. The launch of the Journal of Financial Supervisors Academy added a new platform for expert insight and discussion, with its first edition presented to the President of Malta at San Anton Palace.