Why Malta is becoming a magnet for family offices and internationally mobile wealth – Malta update 2026
Malta is rapidly becoming a premier hub for family offices and internationally mobile wealth, driven by its strategic Mediterranean location, tax efficient residency frameworks and robust legal ecosystem. From London advisers to Italian tax specialists, a growing number of wealth professionals are making the case for Malta. The question is: why now? See also the 2026 List of Top 10 Malta Private Client Professionals here
When senior advisers from London, Milan and major international firms begin talking enthusiastically about the same jurisdiction, it is worth paying attention.
Increasingly, that jurisdiction is Malta.
Long recognised as an international business centre in the heart of the Mediterranean, Malta is now attracting growing interest from family office executives, tax specialists and private wealth advisers. More strikingly, some of the professionals making the case are choosing to relocate there themselves.
At a time when wealthy families are reassessing where they live, invest and plan for future generations, Malta is emerging as a serious contender in the competition for internationally mobile wealth.
Stability in an uncertain world
For some advisers, Malta’s appeal begins with a simple question: where can families and businesses find long term stability in an increasingly uncertain world?
Geraldine Noel, director and barrister at Acumum Malta, believes geopolitical events have changed how many families assess jurisdictions.
“Due to geopolitical events, it is clear that some jurisdictions which were favoured places of residency and business, are not as secure as one once thought. Such insecurity has focused the minds of both families and businesses as to where they wish to be, not just immediately, but on a longer term basis. Certainly, European jurisdictions such as Malta are being considered much more in light of world events as places of prolonged security.”
That search for stability is now feeding into a broader conversation around family offices, governance and long term wealth planning.
Edward Attard, partner at PwC Malta, believes Malta’s greatest strength lies not in any single tax incentive, but in the consistency of its overall framework.
“While Malta’s tax and legal frameworks are well recognised, the jurisdiction’s most compelling attribute is its regulatory and political stability and predictability. Across successive administrations, the legislative landscape has remained broadly consistent, subject to measured refinements, but without the fundamental policy shifts that can create upheaval.
“The absence of inheritance taxes, exit charges and wealth taxes, combined with an extensive double tax treaty network and pragmatic immigration authorities, are features that, individually, can be found in other jurisdictions. However, when considered in aggregate, and layered with a Mediterranean quality of life, English as an official language, and excellent air connectivity, Malta presents a highly differentiated and compelling value proposition.”
A family office destination in the making
Among those putting Malta at the centre of that discussion is Anna Chalov, senior associate at Delfin Private Office, who is relocating from London after two decades advising ultra high net worth families.
“After twenty years advising ultra high net worth families in London, I am relocating to Malta because the opportunity is real and the timing is right. What sets Malta apart is not just its regulatory credibility, it is the ability to build flexible, hybrid family office operating models quickly, within a framework that was designed with that in mind.
“Add a growing ecosystem of private client professionals and a government that acts on its commitments, the recent streamlining of the Highly Qualified Persons scheme being the latest example, and you have a jurisdiction that is genuinely ahead of the curve.”
Others believe the attraction goes beyond current opportunities and speaks to longer term planning across generations.
Looking beyond a political cycle
Annamaria Koerling, managing partner at Delfin Private Office, argues that Malta’s strength lies in the consistency of its offering.
“Malta has one of the most attractive and, importantly, stable tax frameworks in the EU. It is this continuity that has become such a powerful draw.
“If you combine this with the shift to a discretionary, non transactional citizenship by merit model, you have a country that lets families plan over a generation rather than a political cycle.
“While Portugal and Monaco each solve part of the puzzle, Malta comes closer to solving all of it. It is no surprise that Malta is now drawing interest well beyond Europe and the Gulf for both personal and family office relocation. US family offices are increasingly treating an EU foothold as a plan B for jurisdictional diversification and a secure and credible base for the next generation.”
A changing competitive landscape
Malta’s appeal is also being shaped by changes elsewhere. As jurisdictions such as the UK and Portugal overhaul long standing tax regimes, advisers say Malta is benefiting from a narrowing field of European options for internationally mobile families.
Joe David, founder of Nephos Group, believes recent developments have strengthened Malta’s relative position despite the attention given to the European Court of Justice ruling on citizenship by investment.
“The ECJ’s April 2025 ruling closing Malta’s citizenship by investment route grabbed the headlines, but for the internationally mobile families we advise from the Gulf it’s a distraction from the real story. The passport was never the point; substance was. What has genuinely repositioned Malta is timing. Just as the UK dismantled its non dom regime and Portugal retired NHR in favour of the far narrower IFICI, Malta has emerged as one of the very few remaining EU jurisdictions offering a genuine remittance basis.”
David argues that Malta’s opportunity lies in providing long term certainty, succession planning and a credible European base for wealthy families, rather than promoting a fast route to citizenship.
Delivering on that promise, however, requires more than favourable tax policy. It also requires the infrastructure to support internationally mobile families and their advisers.
Building the infrastructure
Omar Cascun, country head Malta at Apex Group Malta, believes the development of family office structures and investment vehicles is helping Malta strengthen its position.
“Malta’s strength lies in combining flexible fund structures, such as the Notified Professional Investor Fund (NPIF), with a mature corporate services framework, allowing family offices to implement clean, scalable structures that align investment management with governance and succession planning.
“Malta supports residence planning, enables cross border tax structuring, and provides the regulatory flexibility required by modern family offices.
“As the jurisdiction continues to reposition itself, its appeal is becoming increasingly clear for families looking to consolidate operations, professionalise their structures, and establish a long term European footprint without the cost and rigidity of more traditional hubs.
“In addition, Malta is now actively incentivising people and substance, with a 15% tax regime, subject to certain criteria being met, specifically targeting family office executives and talent.”
The attraction is not limited to family offices. Advisers are also reporting strong demand from entrepreneurs and business owners.
The entrepreneurial attraction
Justin Moore, partner at Arnold Hill Accountants and Tax Planning, says Malta continues to attract internationally minded entrepreneurs and family owned businesses.
“Whilst much of the recent discussion around Malta has focused on changes to its citizenship and residence frameworks, we continue to see strong demand for Maltese corporate structures from internationally minded entrepreneurs and family owned businesses.
“In particular, Malta’s full imputation system and shareholder tax refund mechanism can produce highly competitive effective tax rates when profits are distributed, making Maltese companies attractive holding vehicles for intellectual property, brands and shareholdings in trading businesses.
“We regularly work with Maltese legal and accounting advisers to establish and administer structures where a Maltese company owns valuable IP or holds shares in UK trading groups, allowing profits to be extracted efficiently whilst remaining within a robust EU regulatory framework.
“For many clients, Malta offers a compelling combination of EU market access, established professional services infrastructure and tax efficiency, which continues to distinguish it from alternative jurisdictions such as Monaco and, increasingly, Portugal. This is where we have been seeing most activity for our clients.”
For some families, however, the discussion extends beyond corporate structuring and into succession planning.
Malta’s trust advantage
Davide Cotroneo, supervisor tax at BDO Italy (Milan), believes Malta’s trust framework is becoming an increasingly important part of the jurisdiction’s appeal.
“Malta continues to demonstrate its credentials as a sophisticated jurisdiction for international trust structuring, particularly for families seeking robust asset segregation combined with legal certainty.
“While Maltese trusts are ordinarily tax transparent, with income allocated directly to beneficiaries, Article 27D(1) of Malta’s Income Tax Act allows a Malta resident trustee to make an irrevocable election for the trust to be taxed as if it were a company resident in Malta on its worldwide income, with corresponding access to Malta’s participation exemption regime on qualifying dividends and capital gains.
“This election, still firmly in force, gives settlors and trustees a deliberate choice between transparency and corporate style taxation depending on the family’s planning objectives.”
Cotroneo points to two recent rulings from the Italian tax authority, Answer No. 144/2025 and No. 145/2025, as providing additional clarity on how Maltese trust structures interact with Italian tax rules.
“This matters in practice for the growing number of entrepreneurs and family principals with ties to Italy who wish to segregate Italian shareholdings for succession purposes through an EU regulated structure, with confirmed recognition of the trust’s separate tax status and a clear capital gains exemption on exit.
“This gives Malta a distinct edge for internationally mobile families weighing it against jurisdictions like Portugal or Monaco, particularly those with significant Italian situs assets or Italian family members as beneficiaries.”
Cotroneo believes recent regulatory developments reflect a broader shift in Malta’s positioning.
“The MFSA’s November 2024 reforms specifically addressed the establishment of single family offices through amendments to both the Notified Professional Investor Fund framework and the Trustees of Family Trusts framework. These developments suggest an increasing focus not only on attracting wealth, but also on attracting the structures through which wealth is governed, invested and transmitted across generations.
“Interestingly, this is consistent with a broader trend visible in leading wealth management hubs. Singapore’s recently introduced structure agnostic single family office framework reflects a similar policy objective: focusing less on the legal vehicle through which wealth is held and more on the governance framework through which family wealth is managed.
“Against that backdrop, Malta is positioning itself not merely as a tax efficient jurisdiction, but as a platform offering legal certainty, regulatory credibility and institutional infrastructure for cross border succession and wealth planning.”
The bigger picture
The advisers quoted here come from different disciplines, different countries and different client bases. Yet they arrive at a similar conclusion.
Malta is no longer being discussed simply as a residence option or tax planning destination. Increasingly, it is being viewed as a jurisdiction capable of supporting the broader needs of internationally mobile families, from governance and succession planning to family office operations, investment structuring and cross border wealth planning.
While Malta’s strengths are attracting growing attention, some advisers point to practical challenges that remain.
Lee Birkett, founder and CEO of Moneybrain, points to one practical challenge:
“Malta has substantial EU regulated banks, but one drawback is the absence of major global banking brands once HSBC exits. For some internationally mobile families and businesses, banking can be more challenging as a result.”
Even so, the overall direction of travel appears clear.
That shift in perception may prove to be Malta’s greatest success.
Key takeaways
• Malta is attracting growing interest from family offices, entrepreneurs and internationally mobile wealthy families.
• Political stability, regulatory predictability and tax certainty are among the jurisdiction’s strongest attractions.
• Changes in competing jurisdictions such as the UK and Portugal have strengthened Malta’s relative appeal.
• Regulatory reforms aimed at family offices and wealth governance structures are helping Malta develop a broader wealth management ecosystem.
• Demand is increasingly coming from the UK, Italy, the Gulf and the United States.
• While banking remains a challenge for some internationally mobile families, Malta continues to strengthen its position as a centre for succession planning, investment structuring and cross border wealth management.
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