@EnCountry @JulieMarieMeyer Channel ECTV julie@ariadnecapital.com

Why Malta?- An Outsider / Insider’s View

Julie Meyer

"The difficulty lies not so much in

developing new ideas as in escaping

from old ones."

John Maynard Keynes

At least 500 years of commentary exist on the difficulty of innovation, starting with

Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527) in The Prince (1513), Chapter 6.

``And let it be noted that there is no more delicate matter to take

in hand, nor more dangerous to conduct, nor more doubtful in

its success, than to set up as the leader in the introduction of

changes. For he who innovates will have for his enemies all

those who are well off under the existing order of things, and

only lukewarm supporters in those who might be better off

under the new.'‘Niccolò MachiavelliThe Prince

The Fittest Survive

Malta has the Adaptability / Fitness Gene

• Thousands of years of history thriving despite different regimes / conquests

• Strong ability to organise itself against incoming/on-coming threats

• Integrates different models, peoples and frameworks

Malta 2000 – my first exposure to Malta

• I came down to Malta for an event of the iworldgroup (IWG), a corporate mobile accelerator, founded by Andreas Gerdes, a Malta resident and founder of several successful telecoms businesses including the business which became Orange Germany, in July 2000

• IWG were atleast 15 years ahead of their time, and IWG’s and Gerdes’ vision for Malta, online and consumer empowerment have had a supernova effect; • I regularly find people who had transformational experiences

through their IWG experience• David Darmanin of Hotjar is example 1

I Began 2016 By Turning Down $100 m on the 4th of Jan 2016

• In May 2016, I came to Malta to speak at the Finance Malta event c/o Kenneth Farrugia, and then Elaine Mulcahy organised a speaking engagement at Zest Malta set up by Simon Azzopardi, and during this trip I met David Barry, of Portcullis Asset Management (PAML), which I acquired by end of 2016, setting up a Maltese Holding Company which has acquired my London venture capital firm.

• PAML provided Ariadne with the regulatory platform, presence in Malta, and a post-Brexit base in the EU from which to launch our Investment Platform

Platforms are taking over the world, and platformising

venture capital was inevitable

• Ariadne Capital is taking to market its ‘plug and play’ Ecosystem Economics® Investment Platform this year – based out of Malta to the EU

• €1 bn AUM platform leveraging our fund stack

• Enabling accelerators, first time funds, family offices and corporate spin-outs to have greater impact by doing what they do best as owner-managed businesses, and outsourcing the rest to Ariadne

But Why Malta?

• Regulatory Platform & Accessible Regulatory Authority• 0.1% of the EU population & v representative – United Nations,

families & retired >> can be a good test pilot location• Tax of course• Sunshine better• A lot of capital• Post Brexit – a good option for EU, English-speaking base for funds• Latent deep bench of people (ex-iworldgroup people and networks

from that)• Latent opportunities – the Mediterranean Ecosystem

Problem/ Real Life Situation

As a result of Schengen, people can flow freely across the EU but those who are ‘bad actors’ do not have their full person profile follow them across the EU. Imagine an individual who had committed fraud in three EU countries, owed more than €1.5 m in debt in three countries, had confessed to 12 counts of fraud here in Malta, had been hired by a Malta-based gaming company despite having a criminal record and documented mental illness record – is still on the run in Malta. But that person is not on the run, he/she is living in Malta comfortably without apparently any scrutiny.

Clearly this is a result of a lack of joined up systems and no full personal profile following them across the EU.

So how does this map to my own experience or poll?

• Well, over the past three weeks, I asked 12 people at various meetings, dinner parties and gatherings where I was at, whether Malta was set up to handle White Collar Crime. Not a single person said ‘yes’.

• 12 out of 12 people – both Maltese and Foreigners – said that Malta was not equipped today to handle White Collar Crime.

• This is an opportunity, and not just a Malta problem but a modern day EU problem

Law & Order Enforcement Malta 2017 – LOE Malta 2017

• Digital Identity Management Through Blockchain?• A Central Trusted Ledger of Individuals and Entities which can be searched

and cross –referenced in regulated industries like gaming and financial services for cross-border fraudsters

• Malta has had a history of being the registrar for industries – like shipping –where the Malta flag or infrastructure is tapped into.

• Why not Digital Identity Management as the next ‘industry’ that Malta decides to excel at? It went after Gaming, and became the biggest Gaming centre in the world. Similarly with Financial Services.

• Why not stop the free flow of fraudsters across the EU – those who both try to use the ‘lax’ current digital identity management systems of Malta and the EU.

Law & Order Enforcement Malta 2017 – LOE Malta 2017

• Make Digital Identity Management world-class in Malta• Engage with Entrepreneurs to identify and solve the

problems• Have world-class Forensics experts available• Fund the White Collar Crime unit (currently 7 people for an

island / country of 450,000)• Create networks / API’s/ working groups cross-jurisdictions

and cross-industries to ensure that someone can’t do a ‘Catch Me If You Can’ in real-life

What are the opportunities for Malta?

• Project De Soto - Assign Property Rights to Consumer Data and regulate this as a financial asset

• Invite Entrepreneurs to Solve the Problems of Society• Financial Services Centre of Excellence instead of ‘Club Med’ • Invite Financial Services firms to Malta for both the financial services

& digital capabilities• Make Malta a test-bed for introducing Blockchain for Digital Identity

Management• Vintage Law Enforcement needs to be replaced with Law & Order

2017

Malta has been on the verge of Great for 20 Years

• The Business People are in Charge and they have the adaptability gene

• Malta Sets Goals and Achieves Them• The island has attracted major entrepreneurs for more than tax

reasons• Huge opportunities in the ‘Neighborhood’• It’s easier to get to MVP in a small landscape and then roll-out

once proven

Malta is an Incredible Location to Build a Business