Starting a Business

A limited liability company is one of the most popular business forms registered in Malta. This acts as a seperate entity from that of its shareholders and attracts hundreds of foreign investors, due to its attractive tax treatment. In this article, we will focus on the process and requirements when establishing a Public Limited Liability Company (PLC) in Malta.

There are a number of ways how a foreigner can establish a business presence in Malta, such as opening a limited liability company, trading company or establishing a branch in Malta. One can also opt to buy a ready-made shelf company.

Maltese foundations are also known as non-profit organisations(NGO’s). Their popularity increased in Malta over the years, due to an attractive regulatory regime in the Civil Law and Voluntary Organisations Act. This was adopted in 2008 and is the same law that regulates the fiduciary obligations and trust in Malta.

There are plenty of reasons why you should establish a trust in Malta, including the attractive trusts regime when it comes to tax and money transfer to trust beneficiaries. While setting up a trust in Malta, may be a vital element of your estate plan, there are a lot of other trust aspects that you should understand.

Flexible legislative measures on investment and an attractive taxation system are among the many factors that have made Malta a hotspot for foreign investment. Malta’s economy is rated as one of the best, stable, and fastest-growing across the globe, providing investors with the most conducive business environment to open a company in. 

A shelf company in Malta is also known as an aged Maltese company. An old Maltese company is a company that has been dormant for a while. Such a company is characterized by inactive shareholders who are willing to offload it as a shelf company. In layman's language, the company was formed and placed on a "shelf" to age. A shelf company is sold to someone who wants to buy an aged company rather than registering a company in Malta.