meta_id 3306656

On July 8, 2026, the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) launched a new Public-Private Partnership (PPP) on Fraud Detection and Prevention, designed to strengthen the detection, prevention and disruption of financial fraud through enhanced national coordination. The initiative brings together key public authorities and leading financial institutions to address increasingly sophisticated fraud risks affecting consumers and the wider financial system. Permanent members of the PPP include the MFSA, Malta Police Force, Office of the Arbiter for Financial Services, Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit, and the Central Bank of Malta. Non-permanent private sector members comprise the Malta Bankers' Association and local credit institutions providing retail payment services. Led by the MFSA's Financial Crime Compliance function, the Partnership has convened three meetings between April and June 2026 and establishes a structured framework for cooperation enabling systematic sharing of insights on fraud typologies, emerging trends and sector vulnerabilities. The Partnership operates around four core pillars: sharing fraud typologies, emerging trends, best practices and lessons learned; enhanced cooperation and coordination across regulators, law enforcement and the private sector; guidance and outreach to build capability and promote consistent application of good practices; and support for policy development with targeted, risk-focused supervisory engagement. Key themes emerging from discussions include the importance of informed and vigilant customers as an effective line of defence against fraud, the increasingly sophisticated and behavioural nature of modern fraud schemes relying on psychological manipulation, and the critical importance of timely and trusted information sharing between stakeholders. The Partnership recognises that upcoming EU measures will introduce enhanced monitoring and data-sharing obligations, underscoring the need for more coordinated responses to complex, cross-border fraud risks.