Intqal kif il-Bank of Valletta se jkollu jibdel il-mudell li bih imexxi ħidmietu biex jislef u jissellef. Se jkollu jżomm riżerva akbar ta’ kapital – jiġifieri fondi li jkunu lesti għall-użu minnufih, u allura jrid iżommhom “għandu” mingħajr ma jinnegozja bihom. Għalhekk ma jaqilgħulu xejn.
L-ammont ta’ riżervi ġodda meħtieġa jersaq lejn il-mitejn miljun ewro.
Dan kollu jfisser li sakemm il-Bank jaqleb l-operat tiegħu u sakemm irekken għexieren ta’ miljuni f’riżervi, se jonqsulu sew il-profitti li mdorri jagħmel.
Mhux l-anqas bħalha konsegwenza, għandha ssir anqas ħafifa d-disponibbiltà tal-Bank biex isellef. Nimmaġina li dil-ħaġa se tolqot l-aktar lill-impriżi ta’ daqs żgħar u mezzan.
Il-bank isostni li l-bidliet huma meħtieġa minħabba r-regoli ġodda dwar prudenza li jinsabu deħlin f’isem l-għaqda bankarja Ewropea li qed titwaqqaf.
Fil-Kumitat Ekonomiku u Finanzjarju tal-Parlament Ewropew fejn jien membru, jiġu jixhdu dwar ħidmiethom diretturi fl-istrutturi tat-tmexxija ta’ din l-għaqda bankarja. Jispjegawlna kif ir-regoli l-ġodda m’għandhomx iservu ta’ brejk fuq l-attività ekonomika.
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Spejjeż tal-ħaddiema
Mill-ġdid, ċerti tendenzi fl-andament ekonomiku Malti qed ikunu differenti sew minn xinhu għaddej fil-bqija tal-Ewropa, u jissorprendu.
Biżżejjed inħarsu lejn ir-rankatura ekonomika u r-rata tal-għoli tal-ħajja. Imma issa qed jispikka element ġdid li ma niftakarx li deher qabel: ir-rata li biha tinbidel l-ispiża tax-xogħol li jagħtu l-ħaddiema.
Fejn fil-maġġoranza kbira tal-pajjiżi Ewropew, din l-ispiża reġgħet qed tiżdied, f’Malta qed tonqos – ħaġa li ilha ma tiġri fostna.
X’inhu jikkontrbiwixxi għal dan l-iżvilupp kurjuż fi żmien meta l-ekonomija Maltija qed tirrombla ’l quddiem aktar mill-bqija tal-Ewropa?
Żieda fix-xogħol prekarju, li jitħallas bir-ribass?
Żieda f’ħaddiema barranin, mill-Ewropa jew le, li wkoll jitħallsu bir-ribass?
Hemm xi raġuni oħra?
Tkun ħaġa utli li jkollna fehma dwar dil-biċċa.
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Biex turi lejn fejn
Mill-istrumenti kollha li ssib f’karozza, f’pajjiżna hemm wieħed li jintuża l-anqas: dak li bih turi d-direzzjoni ta’ fejn trid tmur meta se tiġbed xellug jew lemin, “fuqek” jew “fuq” in-naħa tal-passiġġier.
Is-sewwieqa Maltin donnhom ikkonkludew li assolutament ma għandhomx bżonn li jagħtu indikazzjoni ta’ fejn iridu jmorru. Kieku kellhom jagħmlu hekk, se jkunu ssottomettew irwieħhom għal invażjoni tal-privazija tagħhom (!).
Żball kbir.
Dan-nuqqas qed ikompli jżid mal-inċertezzi li nsibu fit-toroq tagħna. L-użu ta’ “indicator” hu aktar u aktar meħtieġ fil-konfużjoni u rassa li ta’ kuljum jifnu t-traffiku.
Ħafna mis-sewwieqa mhumiex jirrealiżżaw dal-punt elementari. B’hekk qed iżidu l-probabiltà ta’ ħabta, anke meta l-karozzi involuti jinsaqu bil-mod.
English Version – Banks Loaded
It was announced that the Bank of Valletta needs to change the business model by which it has organized borrowing and lending. It also needs to maintain a higher capital reserve – meaning funds it will have to hold at the ready, and which it therefore must keep “in house”, without doing business with them. So they will make no money for the Bank.
The volume of new reserves needed, we are told, could reach the two hundred million euro level.
All this will mean that till the Bank has seen through the change in its operating framework, and till it has amassed the scores of million euros newly needed as reserves, it will see the profits that it used to make, drop.
Not least, as a consequence, the Bank’s appetite to lend could diminish. I guess small and medium enterprises will experience most this effect.
The Bank explains that the changes envisaged are made necessary by the new prudential rules introduced as part of the European banking union which is being set up.
Yet at meetings of the European Parliament’s Economic and Financial Committee of which I am a member, we received directors from the governing structures of the emerging banking union. They explained to us how the new rules should not serve to brake economic activity.
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Labour costs
Once again, certain trends in Malta’s economic performance are diverging strongly from what is going on in the rest of Europe. It’s a puzzle.
One could just point to the economic growth and inflation indicators. But now a new factor has emerged. I do not remember having noticed it before: the rate of change in labour unit costs.
In most European countries, those costs are rising. In Malta, they are declining… something that has been a long time coming.
What is giving rise to this curious development, since at present, the Maltese economy is trundling well in advance of the rest of Europe?
Is it all due to precarious employment, by means of which job rates are at a discount?
Or is it due to the presence of foreign workers, whether from Europe or eslsewhere, who being still are paid at a discount?
Or is there some other reason?
It would be useful to know how we stand on the matter.
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Showing where
Of all the instruments you find in a modern car, one is least used in Malta – that which shows the direction in which a driver needs to go, left or right, on his side or that of his/her passenger.
Maltese drivers seem to have concluded that they absolutely do not need to give any indication of where they would like to go. If they do that, they would be allowing an invasion of their privacy (!).
It’s a big mistake.
The failure to indicate direction when driving, is adding further to the uncertainties that are proliferating in our roads. Use of car indicators has become increasingly important in the confusion and jams that day in day out plague street traffic.
Most drivers do not appreciate this elementary consideration. So, they are helping to increase the probability of a collision, even when cars are being driven at low speed.
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