Share this article
Malta Passes Trio of Bills as Part of 'Blockchain Island' Plan
Malta's parliament has passed three bills on crypto assets and blockchain, in a big step toward its plan to become a "Blockchain Island."
By Muyao Shen
Updated Sep 13, 2021, 8:06 a.m. Published Jun 27, 2018, 2:45 p.m.
Malta has taken a significant step toward becoming a "Blockchain Island."
Announced Tuesday by Silvio Schembri – a Maltese Member of Parliament and the parliamentary secretary responsible for financial services, digital economy and innovation – the island nation's parliament has passed three bills regarding cryptocurrencies, blockchain and distributed ledger technology (DLT) marking it as one of the first jurisdictions in the world to pass specific legislation around the tech.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
Calling the news a "world first," Schembri, who introduced all three bills to parliament, tweeted:
The three bills –numbered 43, 44, 45 – are titled "The Innovative Technology Arrangements and Services Act," "The Virtual Financial Assets Act," and "The Malta Digital Innovation Authority Act," respectively.
With the bills now passed, they are expected to help guide the Maltese government on how to better embrace blockchain and achieve its aim of becoming an international crypto business hub.
Bill 45, for example, will see the creation of the Malta Digital Innovation Authority, which will primarily be in charge of promoting and developing the blockchain industry in Malta, according to public documents.
The measures also provide for the regulation of initial coin offerings and set out the regulatory powers of the Digital Innovation Authority within the space.
In his tweet, Schembri also revealed that Stephen McCarthy – formerly CEO of the country's Housing Authority – has been appointed the chief executive of the new authority.
As CoinDesk has reported previously, this microstate's government is known for its friendly attitude toward blockchain technology, which has already drawn many crypto businesses – including big-name exchanges like Binance and OKEx – to set up shop in the country.
Valletta, Malta, image via Shutterstock
More For You
What to know:
- As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
- GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
- Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.
More For You
Bitcoin Holds Near $92K as Selling Cools, but Demand Still Lags
ETF inflows have finally turned positive, but weak on-chain activity, defensive derivatives positioning, and negative spot CVD show a market stabilizing without the conviction needed for a sustained move higher.
What to know:
- Bitcoin markets in Asia are stabilizing but remain structurally weak, with short-term holders dominating supply.
- U.S. ETF flows have shown signs of stabilization, but on-chain activity remains near cycle lows, indicating weak capital inflows.
- Bitcoin and Ether have seen price recoveries driven by spot demand and improved sentiment, while gold is supported by U.S. labor data and Fed rate cut expectations.
Top Stories
