11th Annual Banking and Payments Law Seminar
Ganado Advocates hosted its 11th Annual Banking and Payments Law Seminar on February 23. The seminar, in collaboration with the Malta Bankers’ Association, was held at the Malta Marriott Hotel in St Julians, bringing together senior figures from the banking, payments, legal, and regulatory communities amid significant international regulatory change.
This year’s event was set against the backdrop of accelerated EU initiatives in digital finance, notably progress at EU level on the legal framework for the digital euro. With negotiations advancing on governance, safeguards, and its role alongside cash, financial institutions and payment service providers were preparing for a transformative payments ecosystem.
Commenting ahead of the event, Conrad Portanier, Partner at Ganado Advocates, highlighted the importance of the seminar for the sector. “With China’s expanding influence, the dominance of the US dollar, and the rise of private stablecoins, the EU must move from principles to action. This seminar provided a practical and legal perspective on how emerging frameworks, from digital currency to AML obligations, will reshape banking and payments law.”
The programme featured contributions from leading local and international experts, examining EU banking regulation, payments innovation, compliance, and supervisory expectations. A keynote by Professor Christos Gortsos explored legal challenges related to the digital euro, while other sessions addressed anti-money laundering frameworks and governance implications.
The event also included two interactive breakout sessions: one on consumer credit regulation and a parallel session with FIMA focusing on next-generation payments and regulatory developments affecting payment institutions.
“After eleven years, we are proud that our Banking and Payments Law Seminar has become a key forum for discussing regulatory change within Malta’s financial services sector, especially at such a critical time for European and local banking and payments,” said Dr. Portanier.
Disclaimer: This article was written by and first published in ‘the Corporate Times’ on 25/01/2026.
