Overview
We are excited to announce the launch of the Cyber Finance Summit, a milestone event that will highlight Malta's commitment to reinforcing its position as a leading hub for cybersecurity dialogue in the financial services sector.
The summit will take place on 15 and 16 October at MCC, Valletta, Malta.
During the event, we will be welcoming experts from Europe and beyond: industry professionals, financial entities, ICT third-party service providers and regulators will be brought together to encourage collaboration and share knowledge on cybersecurity and digital operational resilience.
What to Expect
- Keynote Presentations from Industry Experts
- Panel Discussions on Cutting-Edge Topics
- Networking Opportunities with Key Stakeholders
Featured Topics
- Financial Supervision in the Digital Age
- Evolving Cyber Threat Landscape
- Macro-Prudential Cyber Resilience Approaches
- Latest Regulatory Developments
- ICT Third-Party Risk Management
- Supply Chain Security
- Emerging Technologies and their Implications
Who Should Attend
- Industry Professionals
- Regulators
- Financial Entities
- ICT Third Party Service Providers
Agenda
| 09:00H | Registration & Welcome Coffee | |
| 10:00H | Welcome Note & Opening Remarks
Kenneth Farrugia - Chief Executive Officer, MFSA |
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| Theme 1: Generic Threat Landscape within the Context of the Financial Services Industry and Organised Crime | ||
| 10:05H | KEYNOTE
Jurgita Skritaite, Senior Cyber Policy Expert, ENISA |
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| 10:25H | PANEL DISCUSSION
Matthew BenHamed - Assistant Manager, MFSA (MODERATOR) Jurgita Skritaite - Senior Cyber Policy Expert, ENISA |
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| Theme 2: Achieving Cyber Resilience - A Macro Prudential Perspective | ||
| 11:05H | KEYNOTE
Tryfonas Theophilou - Cyber and Operational Resilience Senior Advisor, BoE |
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| 11:25H | PANEL DISCUSSION
Giacomo Anesi - Assistant Technical Expert, MFSA (MODERATOR) Alan Cassar - Chief Officer Financial Stability and Statistics Division, CBM |
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| 12:05H | Coffee & Lunch Break | |
| Theme 3: Regulatory Update | ||
| 13:00H | KEYNOTE - EU PERSPECTIVE
Boris Petru Augustinov - Policy Officer, European Commission |
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| 13:20H | KEYNOTE - UK PERSPECTIVE
Orlando Fernández Ruiz - Senior Technical Specialist, BoE |
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| 13:40H | KEYNOTE - US PERSPECTIVE
Michael Yaworsky - Insurance Commissioner, Florida Office of Insurance Regulation |
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| 14:00H | KEYNOTE - DFSA PERSPECTIVE
Aksel Movsisyan - Senior Policy Manager, DFSA |
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| 14:20H | PANEL DISCUSSION - COMBINED PERSPECTIVE
Christopher P Buttigieg - Chief Officer Supervision , MFSA (MODERATOR) Michael Yaworsky - Insurance Commissioner, Florida Office of Insurance Regulation |
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| 15:00H | Wrap-Up & Closing Remarks | |
| 15:05H | Networking Followed by Cocktail Party | |
| 09:00H | Registration & Welcome Coffee | |
| 10:00H | Welcome Note & Opening Remarks
Christopher Buttigieg - Chief Officer Supervision, MFSA |
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| Theme 4: Cyber Resilience Supervision | ||
| 10:05H | KEYNOTE - ESA PERSPECTIVE
Andrea Vetrone - Senior Expert on Supervisory Oversight, EIOPA |
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| 10:25H | KEYNOTE - ECB PERSPECTIVE
Francisco Garcia - Head of Section IT, Operational Risk & Resilience, ECB |
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| 10:45H | KEYNOTE - INDIA PERSPECTIVE
Sailaja Rani Jampala - General Manager, Reserve Bank of India |
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| 11:05H | KEYNOTE - NCA PERSPECTIVE
Alan Decelis - Head Supervisory ICT Risk and Cybersecurity, MFSA |
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| 11:25H | PANEL DISCUSSION - COMBINED PERSPECTIVE
Christopher Aquilina - Deputy Head, MFSA (MODERATOR) Andrea Vetrone - Senior Expert on Supervisory Oversight, EIOPA |
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| 12:05H | Coffee & Lunch Break | |
| Theme 5: Key Topical Area - The Supply Chain and ICT Third Party Risk | ||
| 13:00H | KEYNOTE - THIRD PARTY PROVIDER
Dimitrios Patsos - Trusted Security Advisor, Microsoft |
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| 13:20H | KEYNOTE - THIRD PARTY PROVIDER
Maria Tsani - Head of Financial Services Public Policy & Regulatory Affairs EMEA, Amazon |
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| 13:40H | KEYNOTE - DIRECTOR OVERSIGHT FRAMEWORK
Marc Andries - Director for DORA Joint Oversight, European Supervisory Authorities |
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| 14:00H | PANEL DISCUSSION - COMBINED PERSPECTIVE
Rodney Naudi - Head, Operational Resilience Department, APS Bank (MODERATOR) Dimitrios Patsos - Trusted Security Advisor, Microsoft |
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| Theme 6: Key Topical Area - Innovative Technology Arrangements (Opportunities and Risks) | ||
| 14:40H | KEYNOTE - QUANTUM
Andre Xuereb - Founder & CEO, Merqury Cybersecurity Limited / Professor of Quantum Physics, UoM |
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| 15:00H | KEYNOTE - AI
Alexiei Dingli - Professor of AI, UoM |
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| 15:20H | KEYNOTE - THE FUTURE OF FS | |
| 15:40H | PANEL DISCUSSION - COMBINED PERSPECTIVE
Ivan Zammit - Chief Operations Officer, MFSA (MODERATOR) Andre Xuereb - Founder & CEO, Merqury Cybersecurity Limited / Professor of Quantum Physics, UoM |
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| 16:20H | Wrap-Up & Closing Remarks
Ivan Zammit - Chief Operations Officer, MFSA |
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| 16:25H | Networking | |
Registrations
The Authority encourages interested participants to register here by not later than 13 October 2025.
Participants who attend will be eligible for CPD hours.
Photos and videos will be taken during the event with the intent to publish this material on social media channels and website. By registering, one would be granting consent to the data being used.
Speakers
Chief Executive Officer, MFSA
Kenneth Farrugia
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.
Chief Officer Supervision, MFSA
Christopher Buttigieg
Dr Christopher P. Buttigieg was appointed as Chief Officer Supervision in March 2020 following his appointment as Chief Officer Strategy, Policy and Innovation in 2019. During his tenure as Head of Securities and Markets Supervision before 2019, which stretched over four years, Dr Buttigieg was responsible for work in the field of policy, regulation and supervision of securities, markets and FinTech. He joined the Authority in 2000 as Manager in the Investment Services Unit and has gained professional experience in various areas of financial regulation, supervision, the investigation of market misconduct and the enforcement of sanctions. Dr Buttigieg was responsible for implementing various pieces of EU legislation in the field of securities and markets and has led different regulatory and supervisory teams within the Authority. He sits on the Authority’s Supervisory Council and represents the MFSA at various European Fora on financial regulation and supervision. He is the MFSA’s alternate member on the ESMA Board of Supervisors and is the Chair of the ESMA Data Standing Committee. Dr Buttigieg is a lecturer in the Banking and Finance Department of the University of Malta and has published various papers on financial regulation and supervision in academic and professional journals. For a period of two years, up to April 2015, Dr Buttigieg was a director on the board of the Malta Resources Authority, Malta’s energy regulator. In 2015, the President of Malta appointed Dr Buttigieg as a member on the board of the Fund for Voluntary Organisations. Dr Buttigieg is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Academy of European Law (Trier).
Chief Operations Officer
Ivan Zammit
Ing. Ivan Zammit serves as the Chief Operations Officer at the Malta Financial Services Authority, where he oversees and strategically leads operational, technical and corporate services functions. Having depth of experience in technology development, technical and commercial operations, and business management, he combines his passion for innovation, employee and customer experience to spearhead MFSA’s ongoing strategic initiatives related to digital transformation. Ivan also contributes to strategy and policy development on several other areas at the MFSA such as Fintech, ICT risk and operational resilience within the financial services sector. He has held several senior leadership roles across the technical, commercial and business development domains throughout a 25-year career in the private sector prior to joining the Authority in 2020. Ing. Zammit holds an Honours Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from the University of Malta and a Master’s in Business Administration from Henley Business School, UK.
Head, Financial Stability, MFSA
Mirko Mallia
Mirko has more that 20 years of experience in national regulatory institutions, including the Central Bank of Malta and MFSA. He is an economist specializing in financial stability research and data analysis. He actively participates in ESFS working groups and represents the Malta Financial Services Authority in meetings with international stakeholders like the IMF and credit rating agencies.
Head, Supervisory ICT Risk & Cybersecurity, MFSA
Alan Decelis
Alan Decelis was appointed Head of Supervisory ICT Risk and Cybersecurity in July 2021. Alan brings over twenty years of experience in Information and Communications Technology (ICT), mainly with the Malta Information Technology Agency (MITA) including ten years in information security. He is a member of the National Cybersecurity Strategy Steering Committee and sits in various groups within the European System of Financial Supervision and the EU Agency for Cybersecurity. He has direct industry experience in ICT operations and service management, quality and security management systems, public key infrastructures, identity and machine-readable travel documents, and electronic signatures. He is also experienced in cyber incident management, forensic investigations, security testing, threat intelligence, and security operations centres. Alan pursued undergraduate studies in Electronics Engineering, Economics, Information Systems and Management and postgraduate studies in Information Security specialising in Security Testing and Digital Forensics. He is also GIAC, CISA, CIPP/E, CIPM, ITIL, and ISO/IEC 27001 certified.
Assistant Manager - Supervisory ICT Risk and Cybersecurity, MFSA
Matthew Ben Hamed
Matthew Ben Hamed is an Assistant Manager within the Supervisory ICT Risk and Cybersecurity function at the Malta Financial Services Authority, where he has been working for nearly three years. His primary focus is on the workstream handling Threat-Led Penetration Testing initiatives under the DORA Regulation. Matthew holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and IT and currently pursuing a Master of Science in Cybersecurity, both from the University of Malta. Additionally, Matthew holds the CompTIA Security+ ce Certification. With a strong academic background and professional qualifications, he actively contribute to strengthening the financial sector's resilience to cyber threats and ensuring compliance with evolving regulations.
Assistant Technical Expert, Financial Stability, MFSA
Giacomo Anesi
Giacomo Anesi joined the MFSA in 2021 and currently holds the position of Assistant Technical Expert within the Financial Stability Function. In this role, he focuses on identifying and evaluating emerging risks within the Maltese financial sector, with a particular emphasis on the Real Estate market. Prior to his tenure at the MFSA, Giacomo gained valuable experience at the European Central Bank (ECB), where he contributed to the systemic risk surveillance of the euro area.
Insurance Commissioner, Florida Office of Insurance Regulation
Michael Yaworsky
Michael Yaworsky has served as Florida’s Insurance Commissioner since March 2023. Commissioner Yaworsky oversees one of the largest and most complex insurance industries in the world - over $209 billion in regulatory oversight. Commissioner Yaworsky focuses strongly on enforcement and has taken action to increase market regulation compliance, including securing millions in restitution and fines. The Commissioner also strives every day to attract more business to Florida and has welcomed over a dozen new property and casualty insurers into the state’s recovering market.
Senior Expert on Supervisory Oversight
Andrea Vetrone
Andrea is a senior expert in EIOPA’s oversight department. He led the team in charge of EIOPA’s DORA implementation project and was secretary of the Joint Committee sub-Committee on Digital Operational Resilience tasked to implement DORA at European level. Finally, he is Chair of the Operational Resilience Working Group at the IAIS (International Association Insurance Supervisors). Andrea joined the EIOPA Oversight Department in 2018 working with EIOPA’s members on prudential supervisory issues, after experiences in Big4 and a large multinational insurance group dealing with projects relating to the operations (and the operational risks) of complex and large financial entities.
Head of IT, Operational Risk & Resilience, ECB
Francisco Garcia-Martin
Francisco Garcia Martin joined the European Central Bank in 2014 for the preparatory works of the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM). During the last 11 year, he has been serving in different positions in ECB banking supervision, and started as Head of IT, Operational risk & resilience in 2021. His job includes the development of policies, supervisory methodologies, and tools around the supervision of IT Risk and Operational Resilience for the ECB. He is also the Chair of the SSM Network on IT Risk Supervision.
Senior Cybersecurity Policy Expert, ENISA
Jurgita Skritaite
Jurgita Skritaite, Senior Cybersecurity Policy Expert at the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), drives the Network and Information Security Directive (NIS2) implementation efforts in key critical sectors. In the finance sector, she leads collaboration with the European Supervisory Authorities to align NIS2 and the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA). With 20 years of European Union regulatory experience, she builds sector resilience and champions cybersecurity maturity across Europe.
Founder & CEO, Merqury Cybersecurity Limited / Professor of Quantum Physics, University of Malta
André Xuereb
André Xuereb is founder of Merqury Cybersecurity, an innovative company that operates in between quantum technologies and cybersecurity; a full professor and researcher of quantum physics at the University of Malta; and Malta’s Ambassador for Digital Affairs. He holds degrees from the University of Malta and the University of Southampton.
Senior Policy Specialist, BoE
Orlando Fernandez Ruiz
Orlando Fernández is a Senior Technical Specialist at the Recovery, Resolution and Resilience team in the Prudential Policy Directorate of the Bank of England (BoE). He has been with the BoE working on a range of policy areas for 13 years. In his current role, Orlando focuses on cyber, operational resilience and third-party risk management. In that capacity, Orlando was one of the key architects of the new regime for critical third parties to the UK financial sector, which was developed jointly by the BoE/Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA); and PRA Supervisory Statement on ‘Outsourcing and third-party risk management’ (SS2/21), On the international front, Orlando has represented the BoE at the Financial Stability Board (FSB) where he was a major contributor to the third party risk management toolkit for financial authorities and financial institutions published in 2023, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, where he was part of the expert group that developed the draft Principles for the sound management of third-party risk published earlier this year and the European Banking Authority (EBA) expert group that produced the 2019 Guidelines on Outsourcing.
Professor of AI, UoM
Alexiei Dingli
Prof Alexiei Dingli is an AI expert and Professor at the University of Malta. With over 20 years of experience in the field, he has helped numerous companies successfully implement AI solutions. His work has been recognised as world-class by international experts, and he has received numerous awards from organisations such as the European Space Agency, the World Intellectual Property Organisation, and the United Nations. In addition to his considerable peer-reviewed publications, he is also a member of the Malta.ai task force, working to position Malta as a global leader in AI.
Head of the BIS Cyber Resilience Coordination Centre
Randy Miskanic
Randy Miskanic leads the BIS Cyber Resilience Coordination Centre, bolstering central bank cyber resilience globally. He previously held senior cybersecurity roles at BNP Paribas, National Australia Bank and UBS after a 20-year law enforcement career. Additionally, he taught graduate-level cybersecurity as a faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University.
Senior Advisor, Cyber Risk and Operational Resilience, BoE
Tryfonas Theophilou
Tryfonas Theophilou possesses extensive experience in the financial services sector, currently serving as a senior cyber and operational resilience advisor at the Bank of England since 2020. Previously, Tryfonas held strategic roles in consulting, banking, and fintech, overseeing the management of cyber risk and operational resilience.
