Cap. 574 Art. 4Purpose.

(1)The purpose of the Bank is to support entrepreneurship and socio-economic development in Malta by providing promotional investment and financing, financial and advisory services, and by issuing securities or otherwise raising funds or capital in support of those services.

(2) In carrying out its activities, the Bank shall give particular consideration to:

(a) the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises, through State Aid measures that are compatible under the General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER) or through finance measures in line with the de minimis Regulation; and

(b) large infrastructural projects that contribute to important regional or national development.

(3) The Bank shall, in general, act as a wholesale intermediary in coordination with and via commercial banks, private investors and other private financial intermediaries, be they aided or non-aided within a pre-defined remit based on ex-ante defined market failures in accordance with article 6(7).

(4) The Bank may undertake direct lending provided it does not crowd out viable financing from commercial banks, private investors and other private financial intermediaries.

(5) The Bank may also provide financing on market terms and achieve returns equivalent to those reached on the market by comparable benchmarks, provided that in conducting such non-aided activity, the Bank will not compete with commercial providers but will address gaps or failures in the financial infrastructure.