Fund and asset management · MFSA
Malta fund manager and AIFM authorisation (MFSA)
Malta built a fund sector aimed deliberately at emerging and mid-sized managers, with a range of vehicles and a manager regime that includes a lighter route for those below the full authorisation thresholds. It is English-speaking, inside the EU, and materially cheaper than the large domiciles.
The regulator
The Malta Financial Services Authority overhauled its supervisory approach following international scrutiny of the jurisdiction, and now supervises more actively than its earlier reputation implies. It is accessible to smaller managers while expecting genuine local governance.
What the licence permits
Regulated under the MFSA
- Manage alternative investment funds under full or de minimis authorisation
- Provide discretionary portfolio management under additional permissions
- Establish and manage a range of Maltese fund vehicles
- Passport management and marketing across the EEA once fully authorised
Who it suits
Emerging and mid-sized managers who want an EU domicile with a workable cost base and a regulator willing to engage with smaller firms.
Market access
Full EEA passporting on full authorisation. Sub-threshold managers rely on national private placement rather than the marketing passport.
What to weigh
Investor and bank diligence on Maltese structures remains heavier than for the largest domiciles, so institutional fundraising may require more explanation than the same strategy would from Dublin.
We run the Malta application end to end
Whether you build from new or acquire an existing licensed entity, BrokLicense handles incorporation, the regulator application, the AML and compliance framework, safeguarding and banking arrangements, and the operating stack. You stay the principal. We do the work, in confidence, and stay on for compliance once you are live.
Cost, capital, and timelines depend on your model and are set out in a first consultation, under NDA, not published here.
Other permissions in Malta
Related reading
- Fund Manager or Investment Firm? Choosing the Right Asset-Management AuthorisationManaging mandates and managing funds are different regulated activities under different regimes. Applying under the wrong one costs a year and a rejection.
- The MiFID Investment Firm Licence: What the Permissions Actually CoverA MiFID licence is not one permission but a set you choose from. The combination you pick sets your capital, your obligations, and your supervisory weight.
- Licensing an Investment-Management Firm: What Changes When You Manage Other People's MoneyRunning an asset or portfolio manager sits under a different permission than broking. Here is what the licence covers and what regulators expect.
- EU Passporting Explained: One Licence, Thirty MarketsA single EU investment-firm licence works across the whole European Economic Area. Here is how passporting works and why it shapes where firms base.
Fund and asset management in other Europe jurisdictions
- United KingdomFCA
- ItalyBanca d'Italia / CONSOB
- GermanyBaFin
- SpainCNMV
- AustriaFMA
- IrelandCentral Bank of Ireland
Discuss your mandate in confidence
Every engagement begins under a mutual NDA. Set out the firm you intend to operate and the timeline you are working to, and you leave the first consultation with a recommended jurisdiction, the route to the licence, and a defined scope of work.
Prefer email? info@broklicense.com