Capital Markets Update: MFSA postpones application of ESEF requirements by one year

The Malta Financial Services Authority (“MFSA”) has issued a circular to confirm that the applicability of the European Single Electronic Format (“ESEF”) requirements in Malta has been postponed by one year. Accordingly, the Annual Financial Report (“AFR”) for the financial year 2020 does not need to be prepared in ESEF.

This being said, the MFSA has clarified that issuers who voluntarily opt to publish their 2020 AFR in ESEF shall still be expected to abide by the relevant requirements of the Transparency Directive, as well as the Listing Rules.

Whilst informing the market that it would be publishing further guidance on the uploading of AFRs in ESEF in due course, the MFSA encouraged interested users to get in touch on esef.malta@mfsa.mt should they wish to access and make use of the current test environment.