KPMG in Malta is proud to participate in the Institute of Financial Services Practitioners (IFSP) Conference 2025, themed “Challenges & Opportunities for Financial Services in Malta,” taking place on 22 May 2025. The event is set to welcome over 250 leading financial services practitioners representing more than 120 firms across the financial services sector. KPMG in Malta is pleased to support the conference as a Platinum Sponsor.
Throughout the day, leading experts from KPMG - Tonio Zarb, Simon Xuereb, Ariane Azzopardi, Ruth Bonnici, Antoine Demicoli, and Keith Cortis - will offer valuable insights across key areas such as financial services, risk management, tax, and artificial intelligence.
Tonio Zarb, former Senior Partner, will moderate the opening panel on the relevance of financial services in shaping Malta’s future. Tonio has an extensive background in business valuations, financial due diligence, and governance, and is currently the President of the IFSP and Governor of Finance Malta.
Simon Xuereb, Partner in Private Client and Global Mobility Services, will be a panellist discussing opportunities and challenges related to pensions, migration policy, and equal pay. Simon, a lawyer and international tax specialist, leads KPMG Malta's Private Client and Global Mobility Practice, bringing invaluable expertise from both his professional and academic experiences in tax law.
Ariane Azzopardi, Director within the Quality and Risk Management function, will moderate a critical session examining Malta’s progress in strengthening its anti-money laundering (AML) supervision and enforcement framework over the past five years. Ariane brings over 15 years of experience in risk management. She is the chair of the PMLFT sub-committee at the Malta Institute of Accountants and a committee member of the PMLFT sub-committee at IFSP.
Ruth Bonnici, Associate Director in International Tax Advisory Services, will share her expertise during the panel on global tax developments. Since joining KPMG in 2015, Ruth has specialised in providing direct tax advisory services to international corporate clients. Ruth also regularly delivers classes in various courses relating to international tax.
Antoine Demicoli, Associate Director within the Corporate Services team, will be a panellist for a discussion on upcoming challenges for the Malta Business Registry and the industry. Antoine leads KPMG in Malta’s corporate services team and is involved in the setting up of companies, in local and cross border mergers, and in the re-domiciliation of companies.
Keith Cortis, AI Lead, will join the final session on how AI is reshaping the financial sector - covering emerging roles, the growing need for continuous professional development, key value-driving skills in AI collaboration, compliance requirements, and how professionals should transition in these changes. Keith, KPMG’s AI subject matter expert, leads AI-driven projects, provides consultancy services on AI at a strategic, architectural, technical, and governance level, and delivers AI awareness sessions to help organisations understand how to best utilise and adopt AI to maximise the potential business impact.
KPMG’s active involvement highlights its commitment to leading dialogue on innovation, regulation, and future-proofing Malta’s financial services industry. Through its people and expertise, KPMG continues to do what matters, for better - drive sustainable growth and support positive change across the industry.
