This week brought good news for businesses and workers in Malta, with new investment, fresh funding opportunities and ideas for the future all taking shape.
BusinessNow reports that ETERNA Group has brought together some of Malta's best known food and healthcare businesses, including James Caterers, Malta Healthcare Caterers, Healthmark, The Food Factory and Kore, under one new identity. The group traces its roots to 1989, when James Barbara started James Confectionery as a small family business. Today it employs approximately 6,600 people, prepares around 48,500 meals a day, and carries out more than two million home care visits a year, with €244.6 million in annual revenue.
Chairman James Barbara said the move gives the group "a stronger foundation to invest in our teams, improve our services and take Maltese capabilities into new markets". The group's Food Factory in Bulebel represents an investment of more than €50 million, and last year it exported almost 594,000 food products to around ten countries. It has also put around €3 million into a new production unit in Xewkija, Gozo, and invests in training through Healthmark Academy, the Ceserani Hospitality Training Centre, and a healthcare training centre in Dubai that had trained more than 600 nurses and carers by October 2025.
For smaller businesses, Expatax reports that six EU-backed grant schemes for Maltese SMEs remain open for applications before they close between now and 14 December 2026. The schemes, co-financed under the European Regional Development Fund, offer support ranging from a fixed €4,000 grant towards a business report to a combined maximum of €235,400 for digital investment projects that include artificial intelligence. Other schemes cover new equipment and machinery, marketing strategy, plans to expand into overseas markets, and achieving recognised quality standards. Expatax notes that businesses in Gozo can qualify for higher grant rates, and recommends applying early since funding is awarded on merit and scheme budgets are limited.
Meanwhile, BusinessNow reports on a Sustainable Mobility Mixer held at Salini Resort, which brought together policymakers, entrepreneurs, researchers and investors to discuss Malta's innovation ecosystem. The event, organised by EIT Urban Mobility's Regional Innovation Scheme Hub in Malta together with the Malta Innovation Forum, and co-hosted by the Ministry for Sustainable Mobility and Xjenza Malta, put forward five proposals for next year's Budget. These include having government procure innovative solutions directly, improving start-ups' access to venture capital, creating a single point of contact for innovation funding, and building better infrastructure for walking and cycling. One idea discussed was a "green mobility wallet", through which commuters could earn rewards, potentially including tax incentives, for choosing environmentally friendly ways to get to work.
The event also gave a platform to Maltese start-ups including metaCCAZE, HandsOn Systems, NEVAC, Bruntor, Greenroads and Recycllux, connecting them with European innovation networks and potential partners.
Together, the three stories point to a week of practical opportunity: an established Maltese group investing further in its people and markets, new funding on the table for smaller businesses, and fresh ideas for how Malta's economy and infrastructure can keep developing.
Sources
BusinessNow – ETERNA Group unites Malta's leading food and healthcare businesses for next phase of international growth – businessnow.mt/eterna-group-unites-maltas-leading-food-and-healthcare-businesses-for-next-phase-of-international-growth
Expatax – Malta SME Grants: Six Schemes Closing in December 2026 – expatax.mt/malta-sme-grants-six-schemes-closing-in-december-2026
BusinessNow – Maltese innovation leaders propose tax incentives for environmentally responsible commuters – businessnow.mt/maltese-innovation-leaders-propose-tax-incentives-for-environmentally-responsible-commuters