About
Managing Partner: Andre Zerafa
Number of partners: 22
Number of fee-earners: 90+ (incl. partners)
Total number of staff: 170+
Firm Overview:
Ganado Advocates is a leading commercial law firm with a particular focus on the corporate, financial services and maritime /aviation sectors, predominantly servicing international clients doing business through Malta. The firm also promotes other areas such as tax, pensions, intellectual property, employment and litigation. The firm traces its roots back to the early 1900s, and is today one of Malta’s foremost law practices, consistently ranking as a leading firm in all its core sectors. Ganado Advocates has over the past decades contributed directly towards creating and enhancing Malta’s hard-won reputation as a reliable and effective international centre for financial and maritime services. Today, the firm continues to provide high standards of legal advisory services to support and enhance Malta’s offering.
Main Areas of Practice:
■ Financial services
■ Corporate, M&A & capital markets
■ Shipping, yachting & aviation
■ Litigation & dispute resolution
■ Corporate finance & tax
■ Private client, trusts & foundations
■ Labour & employment
■ Environment, energy & renewable energy
■ Intellectual property, media, entertainment & technology
■ Competition/European
■ Construction
Ganado Advocates consistently provides its clients, coming from various industry sectors, with specialist advice and practice. The firm’s practice areas dealing with High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs) are highlighted below.
Trusts & Foundations:
The trusts and foundations practice regularly assists with the setting up of various types of trusts and foundations governed by Maltese law, including employee benefit trusts, purpose foundations in the context of securitisation transactions, employee share option schemes, and various private trusts and foundations for estate planning and other private purposes. The team assists the majority of international players in the fiduciary sector with obtaining authorisations from the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) — the local regulator — for the provision of fiduciary services in Malta. The team has also successfully assisted HNWIs in setting up the first Private Trust Companies (PTCs) in Malta and has, since then, been assisting other clients with setting up family-office style PTCs. More recently, the firm's team has also been assisting clients with the use of foundations in the innovative blockchain field.
Key Contact: Anthony Cremona
Email: [email protected]
Private Client:
The private client practice provides legal advice and ongoing assistance to HNWIs and their families, foundations, trustees, family offices and other wealth management service providers in connection with the planning and structuring of their own or their clients’ private wealth and assets and the regulatory aspects of their fiduciary activities. Transactions in this space range from the creation of structures for both domestic as well as international HNWIs and ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs), consisting both of trusts and foundations, as well as assistance with contentious matters in this sector. This includes, where required, the acquisition of Maltese citizenship by naturalisation for exceptional services by direct investment, as a second citizenship. The practice also advises on the regulatory aspects of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (AML-CFT) legislation and regulations, having assisted various regulated entities with respect to their regulatory and other AML-CFT responsibilities in terms of the EU Anti-Money Laundering Directive as well as in respect of relevant Maltese laws, regulations, procedures and guidelines.
Key Contact: Anthony Cremona
Email: [email protected]
Yachting:
Ganado Advocates has a long-standing practice advising clients on the most tax efficient structures for the ownership and leasing of their yachts as well as the registration of the yachts under the Malta flag. The firm also advises and assists yacht financiers on the Maltese security aspects. The firm has been strongly involved in the drafting of much of the relevant shipping legislation over the years, and the Malta regulatory and tax authorities have regularly sought advice from the firm in respect of technical aspects of Malta’s legislation relating to yachts. The yachting practice is renowned for its level of expertise and detail when assisting yacht owners who lease their yachts through Maltese companies, import yachts into the EU through Malta, and acquire or transfer yachts owned by Maltese companies and/or Malta-flagged vessels.
Key Contacts: Christine Cassar Naudi, Stephen Attard
Emails: [email protected], [email protected]
Private Aviation:
The aviation practice at Ganado Advocates is well renowned for its expertise and experience. The team works regularly in sale and purchase transactions, setting up ownership structures, aviation finance transactions, leasing structures and in providing assistance to HNW aircraft owners with various legal aspects related to aircraft registration, management and leasing. The firm is also considered as a market leader in all matters relating to security interests over aircraft registered in Malta as well as in structuring air-finance deals through various methods, including syndicated loans and securitisation.
Key Contact: Daniel Aquilina
Email: [email protected]
For a full list of the firm’s sectors and practices please visit: ganado.com/expertise
Ranked Offices
Provided by Ganado Advocates
- Valletta171 Old Bakery Street, Valletta, Malta, Malta, VLT 1455
- Web: www.ganado.com
- Tel: (+356) 21 23 54 06
- View ranked office
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Articles, highlights and press releases
281 items provided by Ganado Advocates
MFSA sends letter to management bodies about its 2024 DORA ambitions
DORA (the Digital Operational Resilience Act or Regulation 2022/2554) and the DORA Amending Directive (Directive 2022/2556) shall apply from 17 January 2025.
Adapting to MiCA: ESMA’s recent publications for the Crypto Industry
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has kept up the momentum ahead of the implementation of the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) this year.
Malta M&A Watch: Amendments in Maltese Law facilitating Cross- Border Activity
The scope of the amendments is to fully transpose Directive 2019/1151 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 amending Directive 2017/1132 as regards the use of digital tools and processes in company law, and to ensure legal certainty in implementing Directive 2019/2121 of...
The CJEU rules on the liability for the payment of VAT arising from fraudulently issued invoices
The Court of Justice of the European Union in Case C-442/22, Dyrektor Izby Administracji Skarbowej w Lublinie, has ruled on the basis of Article 203 of Council Directive 2006/112/EC on the Common System of Value Added Tax, that employees may be declared personally responsible to pay amounts of VAT..
Regulatory Round-Up: Examining Recent updates in respect of MiCAR
Bill No. 88, Virtual Financial Assets (Amendment) Bill (the “Bill”) is one of the next pending items on the Parliament of Malta’s agenda.
DORA Trifecta - Three delegated regulations adopted by the Commission
Three delegated regulations under the Regulation on digital operational resilience for the financial sector (Regulation (EU) 2022/2554 or “DORA”) have been adopted by the European Commission.
A creditor’s obligation to assess the creditworthiness of a consumer
In examining the case of Nárokuj s.r.o. v EC Financial Services, a.s (C-755/22), the Court of Justice of the European Union (the “CJEU”) considered the obligation which banks are subject to prior to the granting of credit to consumers.
GRC in Malta: Independent Thinkers for Effective Board Governance
It is acknowledged that governance set-ups can differ between organisations and there is no set-up which is better than another or which is free from flaws.
Liability for data breaches and the recognition of non-material damage under the GDPR
On December 14, 2023, the Court of Justice of the European Union delivered a landmark judgment, following the request of a preliminary ruling, in the case of VB v. Natsionalna agentsia za prihodite whereby the Court examined, among other aspects, liability and non-material damage under the EU...
GRC in Malta: Governance and ESG - Navigating the Intersection between Profit and Purpose
The term “ESG” (Environmental, Social and Governance) has gained significant attention in recent years, much to the delight or dismay of interested parties.
The Parties’ Free Choice of EU Jurisdiction
On 8 February 2024, the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”), in delivering a preliminary ruling in the name of Inkreal s.r.o. v. Dúha reality s.r.o. (C-566/22) reached a controversial conclusion that parties established in the same Member State may agree on the jurisdiction of the courts
The interplay between ESG and succession planning in Maltese family businesses
The acronym ESG (which stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance) has become one of the buzzwords pervading discussions across various media platforms and at conferences over the recent months and will definitely gain further traction in the years to come.
The MFSA consults on a draft Conduct of Business Rulebook for Banks
On the 19 February 2024, the MFSA issued a consultation on a proposed “Conduct of Business Rulebook for Credit Institutions” (the “Conduct Rulebook”) consolidating the prevailing requirements for good conduct of business by credit institutions manufacturing and/or distributing retail products in...
Faster Credit Transfers: EU Council adopts Regulation on Instant Payments
The EU Council has, on 26 February 2024, given the green light for the proposed regulation for instant payments in the single market.
AIFMD II – A step closer to entry into force
On 26 February 2024, the Council of the European Union announced that it adopted the proposed Directive amending the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (2011/61/EU) (“AIFMD”) and the UCITS Directive (2009/65/EU), commonly referred to as the ‘AIFMD II’ (2021/0376 (COD))
Listen: Merger control in Malta
In the fourth episode of the Ganado Meets Corporate Podcast, Dr Clement Mifsud-Bonnici, Senior Associate at Ganado Advocates, speaks with Office of Competition's Director General, Godwin Mangion where together they discussed merger control law in Malta.
MFSA Shifts to Outcomes-Based Supervision in 2024
The Malta Financial Services Authority (“MFSA”) has released its Supervisory Priorities for 2024, outlining a change to an outcomes-based approach to supervision.
Tiktok’s request for suspension of “Gatekeeper” status under Digital Markets Act dismissed by EU GC
On 9 February 2024, the General Court of the European Union rejected the application issued by Bytedance Ltd – TikTok’s parent company – for interim measures vis-à-vis the EU Commission’s challenged decision to designate it as a “Gatekeeper” under the Digital Markets Act.
In March 2022, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) gave a preliminary ruling[1] in yet another case about the unlawful disclosure of inside information – this time by a journalist (Mr A) who informed some sources about a story he was going to publish in a prominent British newspaper regarding two..
Insurance update: The Nature and Art of Financial Supervision (Volume IX)
The 1st February 2024 marked the publication by the Malta Financial Services Authority (“MFSAs”) of its 9th volume from its series on ‘The Nature and Art of Financial Supervision’.
Strengthening Cyber Resilience: ICT Third-Party Risk for Insurers under DORA
In the digital age, insurance companies are not only guardians of financial protection but also stewards of sensitive customer data.
Sustainability and Competition Law in Malta
Clement Mifsud-Bonnici has authored the Malta chapter on competition law in a new open-access book funded by LIDC – the International League of Competition Law – titled ‘Sustainability Objectives in Competition and Intellectual Property.’
Ganado Advocates contributes to AIJA's transport law cross-border questionnaire
Ganado Advocates has recently participated in AIJA's Transport Law Commission cross-border questionnaire on the liabilities of contracts of carriage.
EU AML-CTF Package taking shape: Compromise text for AMLR and 6AMLD published
On 14 February 2024, the Council of the European Union published the following compromise texts......
The right to appoint a liquidator in the case of a vacancy in such office
In OMNIDEA AB soċjetà Svediża bħala kreditriċi tas-soċjetà Pegion Operations Limited vs Pegion Operations Limited, decided by Mr. Justice Ian Spiteri Bailey on 24 January 2024, the Court appointed a liquidator for the company Pegion Operations Limited in terms of Article 292 of the Companies Act..
ECA Report: Less competition in public procurement in the EU
The European Court of Auditors (the “ECA”) recently prepared a Special Report on Public procurement in the EU (the “Report”).
Procurement call under review: Changes to Malta’s electronic public procurement system
On 5 February 2024, the Department of Contracts issued guidelines to economic operators explaining recent changes to Malta’s electronic public procurement system (ePPS).
The role of regulatory governance codes in strengthening governance structures of regulated entities
Corporate governance may be broadly defined as the system of rules, practices and processes which determine the manner in which a company is directed or controlled.
Dyson loses a lengthy legal battle against the European Commission
On 11th January 2024, the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) dismissed the action for compensation of damages of €176.1 million brought by Dyson.
Changing the terms of a credit agreement and forbearance policies and measures
Changing the terms of a credit agreement and forbearance policies and measures: new obligations on lenders in consumer and residential property credit agreements
MFSA sends letter to management bodies about its 2024 DORA ambitions
DORA (the Digital Operational Resilience Act or Regulation 2022/2554) and the DORA Amending Directive (Directive 2022/2556) shall apply from 17 January 2025.
Adapting to MiCA: ESMA’s recent publications for the Crypto Industry
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has kept up the momentum ahead of the implementation of the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) this year.
Malta M&A Watch: Amendments in Maltese Law facilitating Cross- Border Activity
The scope of the amendments is to fully transpose Directive 2019/1151 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 amending Directive 2017/1132 as regards the use of digital tools and processes in company law, and to ensure legal certainty in implementing Directive 2019/2121 of...
The CJEU rules on the liability for the payment of VAT arising from fraudulently issued invoices
The Court of Justice of the European Union in Case C-442/22, Dyrektor Izby Administracji Skarbowej w Lublinie, has ruled on the basis of Article 203 of Council Directive 2006/112/EC on the Common System of Value Added Tax, that employees may be declared personally responsible to pay amounts of VAT..
Regulatory Round-Up: Examining Recent updates in respect of MiCAR
Bill No. 88, Virtual Financial Assets (Amendment) Bill (the “Bill”) is one of the next pending items on the Parliament of Malta’s agenda.
DORA Trifecta - Three delegated regulations adopted by the Commission
Three delegated regulations under the Regulation on digital operational resilience for the financial sector (Regulation (EU) 2022/2554 or “DORA”) have been adopted by the European Commission.
A creditor’s obligation to assess the creditworthiness of a consumer
In examining the case of Nárokuj s.r.o. v EC Financial Services, a.s (C-755/22), the Court of Justice of the European Union (the “CJEU”) considered the obligation which banks are subject to prior to the granting of credit to consumers.
GRC in Malta: Independent Thinkers for Effective Board Governance
It is acknowledged that governance set-ups can differ between organisations and there is no set-up which is better than another or which is free from flaws.
Liability for data breaches and the recognition of non-material damage under the GDPR
On December 14, 2023, the Court of Justice of the European Union delivered a landmark judgment, following the request of a preliminary ruling, in the case of VB v. Natsionalna agentsia za prihodite whereby the Court examined, among other aspects, liability and non-material damage under the EU...
GRC in Malta: Governance and ESG - Navigating the Intersection between Profit and Purpose
The term “ESG” (Environmental, Social and Governance) has gained significant attention in recent years, much to the delight or dismay of interested parties.
The Parties’ Free Choice of EU Jurisdiction
On 8 February 2024, the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”), in delivering a preliminary ruling in the name of Inkreal s.r.o. v. Dúha reality s.r.o. (C-566/22) reached a controversial conclusion that parties established in the same Member State may agree on the jurisdiction of the courts
The interplay between ESG and succession planning in Maltese family businesses
The acronym ESG (which stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance) has become one of the buzzwords pervading discussions across various media platforms and at conferences over the recent months and will definitely gain further traction in the years to come.
The MFSA consults on a draft Conduct of Business Rulebook for Banks
On the 19 February 2024, the MFSA issued a consultation on a proposed “Conduct of Business Rulebook for Credit Institutions” (the “Conduct Rulebook”) consolidating the prevailing requirements for good conduct of business by credit institutions manufacturing and/or distributing retail products in...
Faster Credit Transfers: EU Council adopts Regulation on Instant Payments
The EU Council has, on 26 February 2024, given the green light for the proposed regulation for instant payments in the single market.
AIFMD II – A step closer to entry into force
On 26 February 2024, the Council of the European Union announced that it adopted the proposed Directive amending the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (2011/61/EU) (“AIFMD”) and the UCITS Directive (2009/65/EU), commonly referred to as the ‘AIFMD II’ (2021/0376 (COD))
Listen: Merger control in Malta
In the fourth episode of the Ganado Meets Corporate Podcast, Dr Clement Mifsud-Bonnici, Senior Associate at Ganado Advocates, speaks with Office of Competition's Director General, Godwin Mangion where together they discussed merger control law in Malta.
MFSA Shifts to Outcomes-Based Supervision in 2024
The Malta Financial Services Authority (“MFSA”) has released its Supervisory Priorities for 2024, outlining a change to an outcomes-based approach to supervision.
Tiktok’s request for suspension of “Gatekeeper” status under Digital Markets Act dismissed by EU GC
On 9 February 2024, the General Court of the European Union rejected the application issued by Bytedance Ltd – TikTok’s parent company – for interim measures vis-à-vis the EU Commission’s challenged decision to designate it as a “Gatekeeper” under the Digital Markets Act.
In March 2022, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) gave a preliminary ruling[1] in yet another case about the unlawful disclosure of inside information – this time by a journalist (Mr A) who informed some sources about a story he was going to publish in a prominent British newspaper regarding two..
Insurance update: The Nature and Art of Financial Supervision (Volume IX)
The 1st February 2024 marked the publication by the Malta Financial Services Authority (“MFSAs”) of its 9th volume from its series on ‘The Nature and Art of Financial Supervision’.
Strengthening Cyber Resilience: ICT Third-Party Risk for Insurers under DORA
In the digital age, insurance companies are not only guardians of financial protection but also stewards of sensitive customer data.
Sustainability and Competition Law in Malta
Clement Mifsud-Bonnici has authored the Malta chapter on competition law in a new open-access book funded by LIDC – the International League of Competition Law – titled ‘Sustainability Objectives in Competition and Intellectual Property.’
Ganado Advocates contributes to AIJA's transport law cross-border questionnaire
Ganado Advocates has recently participated in AIJA's Transport Law Commission cross-border questionnaire on the liabilities of contracts of carriage.
EU AML-CTF Package taking shape: Compromise text for AMLR and 6AMLD published
On 14 February 2024, the Council of the European Union published the following compromise texts......
The right to appoint a liquidator in the case of a vacancy in such office
In OMNIDEA AB soċjetà Svediża bħala kreditriċi tas-soċjetà Pegion Operations Limited vs Pegion Operations Limited, decided by Mr. Justice Ian Spiteri Bailey on 24 January 2024, the Court appointed a liquidator for the company Pegion Operations Limited in terms of Article 292 of the Companies Act..
ECA Report: Less competition in public procurement in the EU
The European Court of Auditors (the “ECA”) recently prepared a Special Report on Public procurement in the EU (the “Report”).
Procurement call under review: Changes to Malta’s electronic public procurement system
On 5 February 2024, the Department of Contracts issued guidelines to economic operators explaining recent changes to Malta’s electronic public procurement system (ePPS).
The role of regulatory governance codes in strengthening governance structures of regulated entities
Corporate governance may be broadly defined as the system of rules, practices and processes which determine the manner in which a company is directed or controlled.
Dyson loses a lengthy legal battle against the European Commission
On 11th January 2024, the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) dismissed the action for compensation of damages of €176.1 million brought by Dyson.
Changing the terms of a credit agreement and forbearance policies and measures
Changing the terms of a credit agreement and forbearance policies and measures: new obligations on lenders in consumer and residential property credit agreements