A Maltese finance coach has earned international recognition after placing third in the Money Awareness and Inclusion Awards, the annual global honors that celebrate organizations, projects, and individuals advancing financial literacy and inclusion. The MAIAs, established in 2021 in Singapore by finance professional Michael Gilmore and marketing communications entrepreneur Trudi Harris, spotlight work that helps people understand and manage money effectively, with categories spanning non-profit projects, for-profit programs, school-age initiatives, academic research, books, and influencers. Judging panels draw from academia, media, non-governmental organizations, and the corporate sector, and have included prominent figures such as Annamaria Lusardi, professor of economics at Stanford University, and Nanette Medved, philanthropist and founder of Generation Hope in the Philippines.
The Maltese coach’s third-place finish highlights the country’s growing footprint in financial education, which has seen initiatives ranging from Junior Achievement’s Global FinCap Challenge, where a team from St. Albert the Great College took top prize in 2021 with their Saving Buddy Tool, to the Malta Financial Services Authority’s national financial literacy project supported by the EU Commission and OECD. Local efforts also include the Gemma gamification awards in financial literacy, JA Malta Foundation’s Financial Capability Awards, and community programs such as Be Wise Pay Smart run by the Home Economics Seminar Centre and the Central Bank of Malta.
By securing a podium position at the MAIAs, the Maltese coach joins an international cohort recognized for making a measurable difference in how individuals relate to money, from budgeting and saving to understanding debt, scams, and long-term planning. The achievement underscores the impact of Malta’s practitioners in a field that is increasingly seen as essential to household wellbeing and economic resilience, and reflects how financial education work developed on the island is resonating with global benchmarks for best practice.
