Malta continues to see strong foreign investment, with total foreign direct investment (FDI) reaching €466 billion by mid-2024, according to newly published data from the National Statistics Office (NSO). This represents an increase of nearly €2 billion compared to the same period in 2023.

Between January and June 2024 alone, Malta attracted over €13 billion in new foreign investment, marking a €2 billion rise from the previous year. The financial and insurance services sector accounted for the vast majority of this investment, €12.7 billion, while manufacturing and IT-related industries also saw a boost.

Foreign direct investment refers to cases where a foreign investor owns at least 10 per cent of a Maltese company.

The trend of increasing investment isn’t limited to foreign investors coming to Malta. Maltese businesses and investors are also expanding their international presence, with direct investment abroad growing to €10.8 billion in the first half of 2024 – an increase of approximately €1 billion from the previous year.

As a result, the total stock of Maltese investment in foreign firms rose to €446 billion by mid-2024, up from €429 billion in mid-2023.

These investment gains come despite concerns raised in recent studies suggesting that Malta’s attractiveness to foreign investors may be waning, particularly due to regulatory challenges that some businesses believe need to be addressed.

However, the latest figures indicate that both inbound and outbound investment activity remains strong.