Alan Cuschieri has announced that he is stepping down as Governor of FinanceMalta after four years in the role, saying he will now dedicate more of his time to the continued growth of Moneybase.
Cuschieri joined FinanceMalta in 2022 with a clear objective: to strengthen Malta’s fintech proposition and raise the country’s profile within the international financial technology sector.
Reflecting on his tenure, he said one of his primary achievements was leading the organisation’s fintech agenda and helping put Maltese fintech “firmly on the map”.
Among the initiatives he highlighted were two national research studies produced by Mastercard’s advisory team. The first mapped Malta’s fintech ecosystem for the first time, while the second examined the country’s payments landscape.
Together, the reports comprised more than 120 pages of research and recommendations, drawing on contributions from a range of stakeholders across Malta’s financial services industry.
Cuschieri also oversaw the transformation of Malta’s presence at Money20/20, one of the world’s leading fintech conferences.
He said the country’s participation evolved from what had been a relatively modest presence into a national platform where Maltese fintech companies and financial services businesses now showcase the island’s capabilities to an international audience.
Looking back on the past four years, Cuschieri argued that Malta’s fintech ecosystem has matured significantly.
“Malta no longer chases fintech. Fintech chooses Malta,” he said, describing the sector’s evolution as one of the developments he is most proud to have helped support.
The comments reflect Malta’s broader ambition to position itself as a competitive jurisdiction for digital finance, payments and financial innovation, amid increasing competition from other international financial centres seeking to attract fintech investment.
Cuschieri thanked the FinanceMalta team and the organisations he collaborated with throughout his tenure, including Tech.mt, Malta Enterprise, the Malta Stock Exchange and the Malta Digital Innovation Authority.
He also acknowledged the wider industry stakeholders who contributed to various projects, research initiatives and policy discussions during his time as Governor.
With his term now coming to an end, Cuschieri said his focus will shift towards Moneybase as the digital investment platform continues its expansion.
He will also remain active within Malta’s financial services industry through his position on the board of FIMA, the representative body for financial institutions operating in Malta.
His departure marks the end of a four-year period during which FinanceMalta placed increased emphasis on promoting the country’s fintech sector internationally.
