“Back in December of last year, Malta spearheaded an initiative that brought on board Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain, where together we agreed to promote and work further in the blockchain and DLT sphere, share our expertise and knowledge, and most importantly enhance further our cooperation in this new emergent industry,” said Parliamentary Secretary for Financial Services, Digital Economy and Innovation Silvio Schembri.

“The signing of that declaration was clear evidence of a sense of acknowledgement of this emergent industry. Today’s initiative of a memorandum of understanding takes us a step further, it marks our commitment, as the seven EU member states, to establish a framework for the sharing of best practices in the design and application of DLT at a governmental level. This framework will help us as a region, to achieve the maximum potential of such technologies and enable us to enhance the daily lives of our citizens,” the junior minister added, tagging the MoU as a “historic milestone”.

Under the agreement, Malta, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Portugal and Cyprus commit to exploring the possibility to cooperate on cross-border distributed ledger technologies projects and to share best practices in the application of distributed ledger technologies, according to the DOI press release. The MoU has established a framework for the sharing of best practices in the design and application of distributed ledger technologies at a governmental level between the countries.

The post Malta signs MoU on DLT cooperation with six EU countries first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

“When one notes that more than 90% of products our country imports and exports come by sea, we can understand better the importance of the work of seafarers,” said Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects Ian Borg when visiting the Seafarers Centre in Ta’ Liesse in Valletta on the occasion of signing the MoU.

“The seafarers whose work presents them with such risks and challenges but who nevertheless continue working to sustain our economy and our livelihood, are among the many other workers with different roles who in this case — in the maritime sector — are helping to sustain this industry towards continued efficient functioning and are therefore sustaining several other industries,” minister Borg added.  

“And that is why this agreement is important — today we have an authority that is working hard to continue pushing forward the maritime sector in our country, and that is making a financial contribution with social aims to the same industry and its workers,” continued minister Borg. 

Furthermore, Mr Bugeja said that the agreement will continue to support the relationship of the authority with the centre while fostering the principle of the social contribution that the authority believes in, according to the DOI press statement. 

In addition, chaplain Borg explained how helpful the centre will be for seafarers, giving them shelter to sleep, eat and offering other services. 

The post TM signs MoU to support Valletta Seafarers Centre first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

The MoU discusses the strategic themes of the National Digital Strategy 2014-2020 of Malta, which aims to increase awareness of the latest technologies, implement the pilot projects of these technologies with a commitment to realise at least one pilot/proof of concept on IoT and enhance digital literacy among the Maltese population.

On the one hand, Vodafone will be assisting with the transfer of international expertise and know-how. The company will also provide internship opportunities for students and startups.

“This MoU, therefore, cements our commitment toward driving innovation in Malta by leveraging on our international expertise and resources, and stands testament to our commitment to playing a strategic role in being part of Malta’s national digital and innovation strategy,” said Sonia Hernandez, Vodafone Malta CEO.

“I would also like to see more of Vodafone Malta as a house of talent, with more inflow and outflow of talent coming to Malta to learn and experiment, and also to take Maltese talent abroad,” said Serpil Timuray, Vodafone Europe Cluster CEO.

On the other hand, the government will assist with the promotion of training programmes among public sector employees, in addition to upgrading educational content to reflect more current technologies, the press statement says. 

In addition, the government will carry out digital promotional activities, as well as assist with the organisation of awareness campaigns and training programmes for the benefit of citizens and the business community. The government says it will also help identify business areas and use cases within the government where emerging technologies may be piloted, according to the press release. 

“Smart parking in Luqa will be the first such project, which will seek to improve energy efficiency in transport, improve travel awareness among road users, as well as reduce journey times,” said Parliamentary Secretary for Financial Services, Digital Economy and Innovation Silvio Schembri. “The installation of sensors in parking spaces will be connected to an app and will be accessible for everyone through their phones,” he added

“Vodafone is the ideal partner to launch such ambitious plans with. The company thrives to bring its customers the best possible services. This MOU is not just about pilot projects, but also about increasing awareness of disruptive technologies. This country prides itself on embracing innovation,” added Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. 

The post Vodafone Malta vows to promote latest technologies first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

The signing ceremony marks the exponential growth of the Binance for Children initiative, according to the company. In fact, the first pilot project called “Binance Lunch for Children”, kicked off at Jolly Mercy Learning Center at Kampala, Uganda, in February 2019,

By the end of May 2019, Binance for Children had reached 3,990 children, and that number is constantly increasing, given the increase in children going back to school thanks to this simple act of providing food, according to the press release.

Gume Fredrick Ngobi, Minister of State for Cooperatives in Uganda, said that the project would contribute to the government’s efforts towards the achievement of the Millenium Development Goal (MDG) 2 indicator on quality education, having achieved the national MDG 2 indicator on access to education after introducing universal education at both primary and secondary levels.

“The adoption of blockchain and crypto in charity is not as easy as many people might think,” said Athena Yu, Executive Director of Binance Blockchain Charity Foundation (BCF), during the signing ceremony, “We are inspired by the Ugandan government, which is willing to work closely with us to explore various possibilities in blockchain-enabled solutions for children’s education and health. Together, we will enhance this new way of charitable giving with more transparency and sustainability.”

BCF is honoured to work with the government of Uganda in using blockchain and cryptocurrency to provide better transparency and efficiency throughout the traditional charity processes. The organisation is grateful for the government’s acceptance and enthusiasm for blockchain-powered philanthropy.

BCF Executive Director Athena Yu and the Safe Future CEO Mula Anthony said that the Binance for Children project will be responsible for project implementation and will ensure the delivery of meals, solar panels, sanitary pads, school supplies, LED screens, and other items to 160 schools in Uganda.

The post Binance signs MoU with Ugandan NGO first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

The MoU was signed by Parliamentary Secretary for Financial Services, Digital Economy, and Innovation Silvio Schembri on behalf of Malta, and Senior Minister of State at the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Communications and Information, Janil Puthucheary, on behalf of Singapore, in the presence of Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion Carmelo Abela.

“It is an honour to see both countries ready to strengthen and develop their relationship through a Memorandum of Understanding. We look forward to sharing our internationally-recognised achievements in the blockchain, innovative technologies, and AI sectors based on the credibility and positive reputation to doing business,” said Mr Schembri.

“Malta and Singapore may be geographically distant, but we are united by our similarities,” said Minister Abela. “We are both island states with small domestic markets and an important export sector. Being a strategic regional gateway, Malta can be used as a platform to European and North African markets. On the other hand, Singapore is increasingly assuming the role of a strategic gateway to Asia and Australasia. Moreover, we are both former British colonies, and both members of the Commonwealth of Nations and of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM). All this shows there is ample scope for further cooperation between our two countries. Areas of mutual interest such as trade, maritime affairs, and education are obvious, but we can explore and look beyond this too,” the minister added.

“Today we have made another significant step forward to further enhance the economic and commercial relationship between Singapore and Malta. Singapore is an important Asian hub for financial services, maritime affairs, logistics, and the digital economy,” said Anton Buttigieg, Chief Executive Officer of Trade Malta. “The Business Forum and the B2B networking session have helped to continue strengthening Malta’s reputation as an ideal partner in Europe and in the Mediterranean,” he added.

A delegation comprising 60 representatives from Malta-based companies and Maltese agencies visited Singapore, right after another mission to South Korea, headed by Mr Schembri.

Both sector-focused missions focussed on promoting commercial opportunities in virtual currencies and innovative technologies, cybersecurity, digital games, and esports, and were organised by Trade Malta and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion, in collaboration with the Parliamentary Secretariat for Financial Services, Digital Economy and Innovation, and the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise, and Industry, according to the DOI press release.

The post Malta and Singapore sign MoU on tech cooperation first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

The MoU aims to facilitate ongoing communications between the two bodies, as well as to support the effective sharing of information. The two watchdogs also agreed to provide operational assistance to each other continuously, related to their respective procedures and regulatory policies.

“Many of the companies that have received a Swedish license also have technical equipment and a license in Malta. By opening the communication channels between the authorities, we become stronger in our supervisory activities. This is the beginning of broad and long-term cooperation, and our plan is to initiate corresponding collaborations with more gambling authorities in Europe,” says Camilla Rosenberg, Director General of the Swedish Gambling Authority.

“The MGA is always actively seeking to foster relationships with fellow authorities and other international regulatory bodies as we firmly believe that such relationships are key to reaching our objectives, especially in the area of remote gaming which is fundamentally cross-border in nature,” says Heathcliff Farrugia, Chief Executive Officer of MGA.

“This MoU, signed with the Swedish Gambling Authority, is an important step towards achieving both our respective regulatory goals in vital areas of mutual interest, especially since the MGA and the Swedish Gambling Authority share a significant number of operators licensed by both regulators. We are eager to start this mutually beneficial journey with our Swedish counterpart,” the MGA chief adds.

The post MGA signs MoU with Swedish counterpart first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.