Jean-Claude Maher is no stranger to Malta. The newly appointed Group CEO at MeDirect has been a regular visitor over the past two years, having joined the pan-European digital bank as Group Chief Operating Officer in 2023.
“Joining MeDirect was a big change for me,” explains Maher, who previously spent nearly 30 years in more traditional banking environments. “I was looking for a vibrant, dynamic organisation which is focused on leveraging new technology to meet customer expectations, and I certainly found that at MeDirect. Joining MeDirect also meant an introduction to Malta, where the bank has its origins and where most of our tech development takes place. It’s been a hectic but very enjoyable period, and I am now looking forward to relocating to Malta on a permanent basis in the coming weeks.”
The past two years have seen significant growth for the MeDirect Group. The group now serves more than 155,000 customers who hold over €5.8 billion in deposits and investments. During this time, MeDirect has continued to enhance its platform, providing customers across its three core markets—Malta, Belgium, and the Netherlands—with a digital banking and mobile app ecosystem that delivers seamless access to daily banking services and the ability to trade thousands of financial instruments. The bank in Malta has also launched a separate platform to serve the specific needs of its growing portfolio of corporate clients.
“Scaling a fintech is no easy task. You need great teams which understand changing customer behaviours and have the technical expertise to create and build a great experience that works across multiple jurisdictions. I am proud of what we have achieved, thanks in no small part to the vision and determination of Arnaud Denis, our previous CEO. During my time as COO, my focus has been on developing robust but agile processes that have facilitated this growth,” says Maher. “We now have a platform that is scalable and adaptable to local market conditions as well as to the needs of customers in both the retail and corporate markets. This puts us in a great position to drive further expansion and disrupt the financial services industry in Malta and across Europe. It’s this potential that excites me as I take on this new role.”
The new leadership at MeDirect is not expected to bring any immediate, significant changes, given that Maher’s appointment as Group CEO is still pending regulatory approval. That said, Maher is firmly focused on the future and how MeDirect can be a key player in a fast-changing world.
“The challenges facing all of us are many. In the banking sector, we may have returned to a more normal interest rate environment, but like all sectors, we face the challenge of increasing economic and political volatility. There is also the never-ending advance of technology, with AI playing a greater role across all functions of the bank. The fact that MeDirect has been built with an agile, innovative culture at its core means we are much more able to adapt and change quickly, delivering what retail and corporate customers expect within very short timeframes. Digital banking needs to continue to become more personalised and intuitive so customers can plan and manage their financial journeys with confidence. There’s nothing easy about any of this, but I have every confidence that MeDirect is brilliantly positioned to adapt and thrive,” concludes Maher.
