Rita Schembri has been appointed Deputy Governor for Monetary Policy at the Central Bank of Malta, following a decision taken by the President of Malta on the advice of the Cabinet of Ministers. Her five-year term took effect on 14th January 2026.

The appointment places Schembri in one of the most senior roles within Malta’s monetary authority, at a time when economic policy, inflation dynamics and interest rate decisions remain under close scrutiny across the euro area.

Schembri brings more than two decades of experience at the Central Bank of Malta. Since 2018, she has served as Head of the Bank’s Economic Analysis Department, where she led the assessment of economic developments in Malta and the euro area. In this role, she was responsible for directing the Bank’s principal economic publications and coordinating projection exercises, including forecasts related to public finances.

Her work also extended to key research initiatives such as the Business Dialogue Survey and, until recently, the Household Finance and Consumption Survey, both of which provide critical insight into economic behaviour at firm and household level. Prior to becoming Head of Department, she served as a manager within the same unit from 2011 onwards.

At European level, Schembri has been closely involved in the formulation and discussion of monetary policy. For several years, she represented the Central Bank of Malta on the European Central Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee, as well as on specialised sub-committees dealing with fiscal analysis and macroeconomic projections. These roles placed her at the heart of technical discussions underpinning euro area monetary decisions.

Locally, she has represented the Bank on several key bodies, including the Malta Statistics Authority and the Building Industry Consultative Council. She also serves as the Bank’s alternate member on the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development, contributing to dialogue between government, employers and workers on economic and social policy.

Schembri joined the Central Bank of Malta in 1999 as a research economist within the Governor’s Office, later moving to the External Relations Office. In those early roles, she supported senior management on Malta’s engagement with international financial institutions, including the International Monetary Fund and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

She holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree with honours in Economics from the University of Malta, as well as a Master of Science in Financial Economics from the Centre for Financial and Management Studies at SOAS, University of London.