Announcements
Academy Documents
Kindly access the Students' Policies & Forms by clicking on the button below. The following documents, among others, can be found there: Student Handbook, Student Code of Conduct, Students' Privacy Notice, Deferral, Suspension, and Cancellation Policy, Assignment Extension Policy, Re-Sit Policy, Complaints Procedure Policy, Equality Policy, and Student Disciplinary Policy.
Online Sessions Link
To join the online sessions for this module, please click on the button below. If you are not already signed in to your Zoom account, you will be prompted to register your attendance. You will also need to enter the password provided below.
Meeting ID: 875 7019 3509
Passcode: 546891
Please ensure that your name and surname appear as registered for the study programme, as this is essential for recording your attendance.
Lecture Schedule & Notes
Lecture notes will be available during the week following the respective lecture. Schedule dates are indicative and may change. All changes, if any, may be communicated via email, SMS or telephone calls.
| Lecture | Date | Time | Presentation | Notes (If Any) | Session Recording |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture 01 | 20 March 2025 | 17:30 to 20:30hrs | Presentation 01 | Request | |
| Lecture 02 | 27 March 2025 | 17:30 to 20:30hrs | |||
| Lecture 03 | 3 April 2025 | 17:30 to 20:30hrs | |||
| Lecture 04 | 10 April 2025 | 17:30 to 20:30hrs | |||
| Lecture 05 | 8 May 2025 | 17:30 to 20:30hrs |
Lecturers
Lecture Summaries & Suggested Reading
Lecture 1 - History and Legislative Landscape - Dr. Maria Magro
Following this session students will be learning about:
- the history of banking and lending,
- why banks have such a special and critical position within modern society,
- what are the myriad of laws which have a bearing on the business of banking. The intention for this first session is that of giving a brief overview of all such laws, namely:
- the Banking Act;
- the Companies Act;
- the Civil Code;
- the MFSA Act;
- the Recovery and Resolution Regulations;
- the Credit Institutions (Reorganisation and Winding Up) Regulations;
- the EU Capital Requirement Regulations;
- Investment Services Act;
- Consumer Protection legislation;
- AML/CFT laws;
- Employment laws;
Core Reading List
- Farrugia Randon, P., 1983. Aspects Of Maltese Law For Bankers. Valletta, Malta: Malta Centre.
- Fabri D. 2022. Studies in Maltese Regulations Financial Services Law.
- Rider, B., Abrams, C. and Ashe, M., 1998. Guide To Financial Services Regulation. CCH Editions.
- Lomnicka, E. and Powell, J., 2011. Encyclopedia Of Financial Services Law. London: Sweet & Maxwell.
Supplementary Reading List
- Sinkey, J., 1992. Commercial Bank Financial Management In The Financial-Services Industry. New York: Macmillan Pub. Co.
- Malloy, M., 2011. Principles Of Bank Regulation. St. Paul, MN.: West.
- Burnett, R., 2004. Law Of International Business Transactions. Sydney: Federation Press.
Lecture 2 - The Basic Legal Notions - Dr. Maria Magro
Following this session students will be learning about:
- the basic legal characteristics of the business of banking. During this session, we will explore the following legal concepts and their use in banking transactions:
- Lending;
- Joint & several obligations;
- Suretyship;
- Hypothecs and privilege;
- Pledge;
- Security by title transfer; and
- Bills of exchange.
- And assess case law related to the sector
Core Reading List
- Farrugia Randon, P., 1983. Aspects Of Maltese Law For Bankers. Valletta, Malta: Malta Centre.
- Fabri D. 2022. Studies in Maltese Regulations Financial Services Law.
- Rider, B., Abrams, C. and Ashe, M., 1998. Guide To Financial Services Regulation. CCH Editions.
- Lomnicka, E. and Powell, J., 2011. Encyclopedia Of Financial Services Law. London: Sweet & Maxwell.
Supplementary Reading List
- Sinkey, J., 1992. Commercial Bank Financial Management In The Financial-Services Industry. New York: Macmillan Pub. Co.
- Malloy, M., 2011. Principles Of Bank Regulation. St. Paul, MN.: West.
- Burnett, R., 2004. Law Of International Business Transactions. Sydney: Federation Press.
Lecture 3 - Depositor and Consumer Safeguards - Dr. Michael Buhagiar
Following this session students will be learning:
- About the legislative safeguards which are intended to allow customers of banks (specifically consumers) to make informed decisions with respect to services acquired from banks, as well as about those mechanisms which are intended to protect deposit holders in the event that a bank fails. During this session, we will be exploring:
- Consumer credit related legislation;
- The deposit compensation scheme.
Core Reading List
- Farrugia Randon, P., 1983. Aspects Of Maltese Law For Bankers. Valletta, Malta: Malta Centre.
- Fabri D. 2022. Studies in Maltese Regulations Financial Services Law.
- Rider, B., Abrams, C. and Ashe, M., 1998. Guide To Financial Services Regulation. CCH Editions.
- Lomnicka, E. and Powell, J., 2011. Encyclopedia Of Financial Services Law. London: Sweet & Maxwell.
Supplementary Reading List
- Sinkey, J., 1992. Commercial Bank Financial Management In The Financial-Services Industry. New York: Macmillan Pub. Co.
- Malloy, M., 2011. Principles Of Bank Regulation. St. Paul, MN.: West.
- Burnett, R., 2004. Law Of International Business Transactions. Sydney: Federation Press.
Lecture 4 - Banking: A Highly Regulated Business - Dr. Kylie Debattista
Following this session students will be learning about:
- certain regulatory aspects relating to the licensing and ongoing supervision of banks. Specifically with respect to the latter, the session will focus on the various internal governance organs within a credit institution required in terms of law to ensure an adequate level of checks and balances;
- The session will also briefly touch upon the basic AML/CFT obligations imposed upon banks as subject persons.
Core Reading List
- Farrugia Randon, P., 1983. Aspects Of Maltese Law For Bankers. Valletta, Malta: Malta Centre.
- Fabri D. 2022. Studies in Maltese Regulations Financial Services Law.
- Rider, B., Abrams, C. and Ashe, M., 1998. Guide To Financial Services Regulation. CCH Editions.
- Lomnicka, E. and Powell, J., 2011. Encyclopedia Of Financial Services Law. London: Sweet & Maxwell.
Supplementary Reading List
- Sinkey, J., 1992. Commercial Bank Financial Management In The Financial-Services Industry. New York: Macmillan Pub. Co.
- Malloy, M., 2011. Principles Of Bank Regulation. St. Paul, MN.: West.
- Burnett, R., 2004. Law Of International Business Transactions. Sydney: Federation Press.
Lecture 5 - Winding Up Banks - Dr. Michael Buhagiar
Following this session students will be learning about:
- the complexities surrounding the winding-up of banks, including the various laws regulating the same, and the overlaps between such laws;
- the winding up of a bank is to be preceded by attempts at its recovery, if at all possible. The session will briefly explore the legislation regulating bank recoveries;
The sessions will also set out a comparative analysis with how some other foreign jurisdictions deal with the winding up of banks and assess case law related to the sector.
Core Reading List
- Farrugia Randon, P., 1983. Aspects Of Maltese Law For Bankers. Valletta, Malta: Malta Centre.
- Fabri D. 2022. Studies in Maltese Regulations Financial Services Law.
- Rider, B., Abrams, C. and Ashe, M., 1998. Guide To Financial Services Regulation. CCH Editions.
- Lomnicka, E. and Powell, J., 2011. Encyclopedia Of Financial Services Law. London: Sweet & Maxwell.
Supplementary Reading List
- Sinkey, J., 1992. Commercial Bank Financial Management In The Financial-Services Industry. New York: Macmillan Pub. Co.
- Malloy, M., 2011. Principles Of Bank Regulation. St. Paul, MN.: West.
- Burnett, R., 2004. Law Of International Business Transactions. Sydney: Federation Press.
Methods of Assessment
2 out of a choice of 4 assignment titles - 100% weighting
Assignment
You have to choose 2 out of the 4 questions which are available in the Assignment Submission form below. The assignment should be submitted no later than Thursday 10 July 2025. The assignment has to be submitted along with the Assignment Submission Form. Please indicate the questions which you have addressed in the Assignment Submission form.
The Assignment Submission Form will be made available here at a later date.
For guidance on how to plan, draft, and submit your assignment, please refer to the 21 Academy presentation on Writing and Submitting Your Assignment by clicking the button below.
Writing and Submitting Your Assignment
We are also providing the 21 Academy's Assignments Rubric for your reference. This rubric is a performance-based assessment tool that tutors will use for grading, and it will help you understand the requirements of the assignment and how it will be assessed.
For referencing purposes, please use the OSCOLA Referencing Guide available by clicking the button below.
Submitting Assignment - Turnitin
The Academy will notify you via email when the assignment questions become available. Shortly after, you will receive another email from Turnitin, likely on the same day, confirming your enrolment in a "class" where you can upload your assignment(s).
Please ensure that your assignments are submitted no later than 23:59 on the assignment submission deadline, as indicated on the Assignment Submission form or in the Turnitin "class."
At 21 Academy, you have the option to submit multiple drafts before the final submission deadline. The version uploaded at the deadline will be treated as your final submission for assessment. Please note that Turnitin evaluates the same assignment twice within a 24-hour period, so any additional submissions during this time will not be reviewed until the 24-hour period has passed. Ensure that your final submission does not exceed 20% similarity, particularly when using direct quotations.
Follow this very short video to understand how to submit your assignment through Turnitin
To understand the similarity report generated by Turnitin follow this 1 minute video
Understanding the Similarity Report
Referencing Style
Law students should use the OSCOLA referencing style as it is the standard citation system for legal writing in Malta. It ensures consistency, accuracy, and clarity when referencing legal sources, which is essential for academic and professional work. The video below provides detailed guidance on how to reference using OSCOLA. Please also refer to the OSCOLA Referencing Guide by clicking the button below