Tag: 2025
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Central Bank of Malta release upbeat annual report about 2025: deposits and loans keep increasing
The annual report of the Central Bank of Malta describes an upbeat economy highlighting a 4% average annual growth for 2025 driven mostly by local demand with exports aiding to the growth. The Central Bank also praised the monetary policy of the European Central Bank which it deemed as successful in tamping down inflation. The…
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Is the Finance Minister hitting his estimates?
The latest figures published by the National Statistics Office (NSO) for the fourth quarter of 2025 paint a mixed picture of Malta’s public finances, raising questions about whether Finance Minister Clyde Caruana is truly on track with his fiscal targets. According to the NSO’s quarterly accounts, Malta’s general government deficit for 2025 stood at €545.3…
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Bank of Valletta’s profits drop by 29% in 2025 after record-2024 year
Bank of Valletta has reported a notable decline in profitability for 2025 following a record-breaking performance in 2024, as lower interest rates and rising costs weigh on earnings despite continued growth in lending and investment activity. The bank posted a record of pre-tax profit of €302.4 million in 2024, up from €251.6 million in 2023…
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Euro area GDP increases by 1.4% in 2025: Malta with the second largest GDP growth rate following Ireland
According to the latest Eurostat statistics, the Euro area economy grew by 1.4% in 2025, with Malta recording the second-highest GDP growth rate among EU member states with 4%, following IReland with 12.3%. The European Union’s overall GDP increased by 1.5% in 2025, continuing a moderate recovery after growth of 1.1% in 2024. Cyprus recorded…
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4 million tourists with €3.9 billion expenditure in 2025: Tourism Minister says there will be more emphasis on historical sites than music festivals
According to the latest NSO statistics, the total number of tourists coming to Malta in 2025 reached a record of 4.02 million people and the total expenditure amounted up to €3.9 billion. The figures are consistent and align with the monthly figures issued last year. The expenditure is also a record with 2024’s expenditure hovering…
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Government records surplus in recurrent expenditure in October but rising expenditure trend still dominant
According to the newly released data by the National Statistics Office show mixed developments in Malta’s public finances in 2025: while a surplus was recorded in the third quarter, the broader trend of rising government expenditure and an ongoing budget deficit remain challenging. In the third quarter of last year, the general government registered a surplus…
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MSE Equity Total Return Index just less than 100 points off its highs: see the best performing Maltese stocks over the past 12 months
The MSE Equity Total Return Index opened with a bang this year, up by 2.8% on January 5th from December 23rd, just right before the holidays. It retraced back some of its gains and the index closed yesterday at 8979 points and was trending higher again. The all-time high of the index was recorded on…
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Deficit set to come higher for 2025
According to the recent statistics released by the NSO, the government’s deficit in real terms in 2025 is set to increase with the government failing to keep up tax revenues with government expenditure. The Finance Minister plans to close the deficit with recurrent expenditure this year. Government’s deficit for 2024 was up to 3.5% of…
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Watch: Iran engulfed by protests: security forces shoot back at protestors
New Year in Iran turned volatile with massive protests against the Islamic regime flaring up across the country and in various cities including in Tehran, Ishafan, Shiraz and Kermanshah. Protests kept going through the new year and are ongoing. The protests have been triggered by stagflation with soaring food prices and mark the first time…
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Our most popular local stories of 2025
Crime and politics are the most popular topics among our local readers, with stories about the Labour Party ranking among the most widely read political stories by our local audience. These were our most popular local stories of 2025. 1. Sina Bugeja thinks that Tumas Group and Joseph Portelli will stop donating to the MCCF…
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Our top ten international stories of 2025
As our first year, this was an incredibly challenging one, yet our work still reached the international press. These are what we consider our top ten international stories of the year, some of which were quoted by other media outlets. 1: Alkagesta: the oil trader of Russian and Libyan oil in Malta Our investigation on…
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European agriculture output growing: technology replacing labour
According to the latest Eurostat statistics, the European agriculture industry has seen noticeable growth in 2025, with labour productivity increasing by 9.2%, compared to the previous year. The productivity increase was driven by an 8.1% in real factor income generated by agricultural holdings and 1% reduction in the volume of agricultural labour. Agricultural labour productivity…
