MSE hopes to become central Mediterranean exchange

by Blanche Gatt

The directors of the Malta Stock Exchange are looking very closely at a new plan to turn the MSE into a central Mediterranean Stock Exchange.
“This idea is still very much in the embryonic stage,” Alfred Mallia, the MSE chairman said in an interview with The Malta Business Weekly. “but we are examining the situation and have signed cooperation agreements with the Cairo and Alexandria Stock Exchange and will be signing the same type of agreement with Tunis imminently. Cyprus has asked to enter a cooperation agreement with us and we are looking at a future when the political problems of the region are sorted out and a huge market will definitely emerge.”
Mr Mallia said that by taking a leading role now, Malta will be in a position to take advantage of all trading from around the Mediterranean basin, the Middle East and southern Europe. “By the beginning of next year we shall be calling a meeting in Malta for all these countries in order to tell them of our ideas and enlist their support. In the meantime we have already spoken about this to most of the established centres worldwide, who have also shown their support,” he said.