17th February, 2027 08:30 Conference Conference: FSA Knowledge Network 2027

Kenneth Farrugia, CEO of the MFSA, holds a Bachelor of Accountancy (Hons), an MA in Business Ethics, and is a Certified Public Accountant and a fellow member of the Malta Institute of Accountants (MIA). Throughout his career, Mr Farrugia held audit positions both within private audit firms and the public sector. Prior to joining the MFSA, Mr Farrugia was the Director of the FIAU, Malta’s financial intelligence and single AML/CFT Supervisor and Enforcement Unit in Malta, for six years until April 2023. During his tenure he implemented major policy, system and procedural reforms within the various sections of the FIAU, including intelligence analysis, AML/CFT supervisory and enforcement initiatives, and legal and international relation areas. Additionally, Mr Farrugia spearheaded the setting up of new teams within the Unit such as the cash limitation supervisory team, the central bank account registry and data analytics team, as well as the strategy, policy and quality assurance teams to cater for new responsibilities assigned to the FIAU by law, and also to enhance the overall governance structure of the Unit. He represented the FIAU in international fora, including the EBA AMLC, FIU Platform and EGMONT, amongst others, and participated in various AML/CFT high-level committees. For nine years up to 2017, he was engaged within the Government of Malta’s Internal Audit and Investigations Department (IAID) where he held various roles, including that of Director General. Mr Farrugia provided support to the Internal Audit & Investigations Board (IAIB) in drafting policies and procedures, implementing and managing the necessary change programmes and served as Secretary to that Board. He also participated in various meetings, seminars and conferences organised by the European Commission in the fields of auditing and financial investigations. Mr Farrugia is currently also the Chairman of the FIAU.

Jesmond Gatt was appointed Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) in 2023. Mr Gatt joined the Central Bank of Malta in 1984 and graduated in Mathematics and Computing from the University of Malta in 1995. During his career at the Bank, spanning over 37 years, he worked on all major IT projects and held the position of Chief Officer with responsibility for retail banking services, currency management, and the regulation of payment systems and infrastructures. He formed part of the core financial sector team that oversaw Malta’s changeover to the euro in 2008. Following Malta’s accession to the European Union, Mr Gatt served as a member of various Eurosystem and European Commission committees focusing on payment systems and the management of euro banknotes and coins. He also participated in several European Commission initiatives contributing to the development of payment systems regulations. Between 2016 and 2023, Mr Gatt served on the Board of the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU), acting as Chairman of the Board from 2020. Mr Gatt was appointed Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Malta Financial Services Authority in 2023. In 2025, he also assumed the chairmanship of the Management Committee of the Depositors Compensation Scheme and the Investment Compensation Scheme.

Prof. Buttigieg has over 25 years of experience in financial regulation and supervision. He is the Chief Officer Supervision at the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA), where he oversees the Authority’s supervisory and regulatory strategy across all sectors. He chairs the MFSA’s Regulatory and AML/CFT Committees and is a member of its Executive and Risk Committees. Between 2020 and 2021, he served as the MFSA’s Interim CEO. At the European level, Prof. Buttigieg sits on the Boards of Supervisors of both ESMA and the EBA. He previously chaired ESMA’s Data Standing Committee and currently chairs the Proportionality and Coordination Committee. He holds multiple degrees in commerce, accountancy, law, and EU studies, including a PhD in law from the University of Sussex. He is an Associate Professor at the University of Malta and a visiting lecturer at the Academy of European Law (ERA), where he also serves on the Board of Trustees. An active researcher, he has published widely in leading journals. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Financial Supervisors Academy (JFSA).

Aleksandra Dimitrova is the Managing Editor (Strategy & Outreach) of the Journal of Financial Supervisors Academy (JFSA). She previously served as Journal Coordinator, overseeing the publication process of Volume 1. She is the Senior Academy Manager at the Financial Supervisors Academy, the training arm of the Malta Financial Services Authority, where she leads the design and delivery of strategic learning and academic initiatives for financial supervisors and industry professionals. Aleksandra brings experience in marketing, research, and educational design. She is a member of the Board of Studies for the Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Services Regulation and Compliance and serves on the Institute of Directors’ Chapter Council, where she contributes to the development and implementation of a workshop series tailored for Directors within the financial services industry.

Benjamin Ellul is an Economics and Policy graduate from the University of Malta and holds a Master of Science in Finance and Economics from the University of London. Benjamin is a Senior Analyst within the Office of the Chief Officer Supervision at the Malta Financial Services Authority. He assists the Chief Officer Supervision in the oversight and coordination of the Supervisory Directorate, mainly by ensuring supervisory effectiveness through the effective management of supervisory interactions data. He also works in close collaboration with the Supervisory Directorate to deliver some of the MFSA’s milestone projects and yearly publications. In addition, Benjamin also holds the role of secretary in the Risk-Based Supervision Forum and is a member of the internal Sustainable Finance Working Group. Benjamin is a member on the Board of Studies of the Post Graduate Diploma in Financial Regulation and Compliance, launched by the MFSA and the University of Malta. He is also the Managing Editor (Editorial Strategy) of the MFSA’s Journal of Financial Supervisors Academy.

Currently Professor of Financial Markets and Banking Legislation at Bocconi University, Milan. His main interests revolve around most areas of Financial markets and Banking regulation, with a particular focus on capital markets legislations (investment funds, investment services, public offerings, trading venues, financial instruments, DLT and crypto-assets) and the Banking Union. He has also been extensively engaged with market abuse regulation, corporate governance, and broader topics of corporate law. Professor of Financial Markets and Banking Legislation at Bocconi University, since 2007, previously at University of Bologna (since 1998). Recognized as Full professor in 2017. He holds his teaching courses in English and in Italian, and, since 2007, he teaches at Bocconi University in the top-ranked international course of the University (Finance). At University of Bologna (1998-2007) he also taught Competition Law and Banking Law. He holds a PhD in Commercial Law and was a tenured researcher of Commercial Law at Bocconi University in the period 1994-2008. He is professor of Musicology at Università degli Studi di Milano.

Dr. Jens Hillebrand Pohl, FRGS, is President and Secretary-General of the Helsinki Geoeconomics Society and Editor-in-Chief of Hegemon | Helsinki Geoeconomics Monitor. His work focuses on international economic law, economic security, and geoeconomics. His professional experience spans legal practice, multilateral diplomacy, and academic research. After studying law at the universities of Stockholm and Uppsala, he served as a judicial clerk at the Stockholm High Court and later practiced law in Stockholm and New York, including at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, where he worked on the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy. He subsequently advised on the establishment of the European Stability Mechanism and has practiced and argued cases before U.S. federal courts in New York and before the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg. He has held research and teaching positions at Maastricht University, the United Nations University, and the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, and has been a visiting researcher at the Max Planck Institute Luxembourg for International, European and Regulatory Procedural Law and the World Trade Institute. He is also Series Editor-in-Chief of Springer Studies in Law & Geoeconomics. Dr. Pohl holds a Ph.D. in Law from Maastricht University, an LL.M. from Harvard Law School, and an M.Sc. in Economics and Business from the Stockholm School of Economics. He is admitted to legal practice in New York, England and Wales, and Ireland.

Dr. Iris H-Y Chiu is Professor of Corporate Law and Financial Regulation at the Faculty of Laws, University College London. She joined the Faculty in 2009. She is an academic member of the Centre for Ethics and Law and advances public and stakeholder engagement under the Centre's umbrella in relation to the law and regulation of the banking, financial and fintech sectors, the crypto economy and governance of business generally. She has published extensively in the areas of corporate governance and financial regulation,  fintech and crypto regulation,  and the law and policy for business and finance generally. She is a Research Member of the European Corporate Governance Institute, and in 2020, a Senior Scholar at the European Central Bank’s Legal Research Programme.

Professor of Banking and Financial Regulation at the University of Bergamo, a Visiting Professor at the Université de la Côte d’Azur – Nice, Fordham University – New York, University of Westminster – London, and China University of Political Science and Law – Beijing, as well as the vice president of South Korean Digital Finance Law Forum – Seoul. He has published a significant number of books and articles in peer-reviewed American, British and European journals on several matters concerning banking regulation, bank crisis management, corporate governance of financial institutions, central banking, investment funds and asset management law, sustainable finance and fintech. Marco is an Italian qualified lawyer and an of counsel at PWC Legal in Milan. He provides legal and regulatory consultancy to financial intermediaries and international institutions such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and International Finance Corporation. Marco is also a member of the expert group advising the European Parliament on bank resolution and a member of the advisory panel of the International Association of Deposit Insurers.

Dr George Vital Zammit is a Senior lecturer at the Department of Policy, Politics and Governance within the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy (FEMA), University of Malta. He read for Degrees in Business and Computing, Management, Masters in Diplomatic Studies and PhD in Politics at the University of Sheffield with a thesis on the international dimension of political groups within the European Parliament. Dr Zammit served in a number of roles within the Government of Malta and after joining academia, he served as Head of Department (2013-2017) and Deputy Dean of FEMA (2016-2018). Between 2020-2024 he chaired the Faculty Research Ethics Committee within FEMA. Amongst his teaching portfolio are study units on Comparative Government, Good Governance and Leadership, Parliament and Legislation, and Regulatory Policy. Dr Zammit is an alumnus of the Salzburg Global Seminar (2015) and a Fulbright Scholar (2019) at the School for Public Affairs and Administration, Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA. In June 2026, he was elected Member of Parliament on behalf of Partit Nazzjonalista, where he is Spokesperson for Research and Innovation. He is a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence Affairs

Dr. Franklin Cachia is the Chief Legal and Compliance Officer at MiFinity, where he oversees legal, regulatory, and compliance functions across multiple jurisdictions. He has over 15 years of experience in financial services law, regulatory compliance, and tax advisory, with particular expertise in payments, electronic money, fintech, iGaming, and crypto‑asset regulation. Franklin has held senior leadership roles advising regulated financial institutions on EU and UK regulatory frameworks, including PSD2, MiCA, AML/CFT, GDPR, FCA and MFSA requirements, as well as governance, risk management, and regulatory engagement. He is deeply involved in board‑level governance, licensing projects, and complex cross‑border regulatory matters. He holds a Doctorate in Law (LL.D.) from the University of Malta, and is currently a PhD Candidate specialising in International and EU Tax Law, with Maastricht University, and combines strong academic grounding with extensive hands‑on industry experience. Franklin is regularly involved in regulatory strategy, policy development, and stakeholder engagement within the European financial services ecosystem.

Edgar Löw is Professor of Accounting and Program Director at Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, Frankfurt am Main, since 2014. His main areas of research and teaching are financial instruments accounting, bank accounting, M&A accounting, the connection between bank regulatory requirements and accounting, risk management, and national and international accounting standards (IFRS, HGB). He started his professional career with Deutsche Bank where he worked for six years in Corporate Centre Controlling, Department of Fundamental Issues and Associate Tasks. He was appointed as Head of Department after two years. Thereafter, he went to Arthur Andersen, Frankfurt am Main, where he was Head of Financial Accounting Issues, Financial Services Industry Division. After about two years, Edgar Löw went to KPMG, Frankfurt am Main, as a Partner and Head of Department of Professional Practice Banking and Finance. In that time, he was responsible for several conversion projects from local accounting standards towards IFRS. After eight years serving as a partner at KPMG Edgar Löw joined Ernst & Young, Frankfurt am Main, as a partner and Head of Financial Accounting Advisory Services, Financial Services Organisation, and Head of Professional Practice Department Financial Services Organisation (Banks and Insurance Companies) for at least three and a half years before he went to the academia. Parallel to his practical working experience Edgar Löw always worked as a lecturer for different universities. He is holding a professorship of honour at WHU, Otto Beisheim School of Management, Vallendar, since 2005. He worked and still works in several working parties and is a member of quite many professional organisations, like Accountancy Europe, Working Party of the German Ministry of Justice on Prematurity Compensation Payment, German Academic Association for Business Research, European Accounting Association, German Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Schmalenbach-Gesellschaft für Betriebswirtschaft, German Association for Financial Analysis. Starting in October 2018, Edgar Löw was appointed as a member of the EBA´s Banking Stakeholder Group, and since 2023, he has served as its Vice-Chair. Since June 2021, he has been a member of the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group – Financial Instruments Working Group.