Biography: Private funds

Max Ganado is a lawyer practising with Ganado & Associates, Advocates, one of the larger law firms based in Malta. Starting as a maritime lawyer, dealing with all aspects of shipping, including ship finance, he moved on to develop the financial services practice of the firm and is now managing partner.

For the past 15 years he has been involved mainly assisting clients on the laws relating to investment services and funds. Throughout this period he has assisted in establishing retail funds with various strategies, capital guaranteed funds, in various legal forms, and in having their units listed on the Malta Stock Exchange. The firm also assisted many international fund managers in secondary listings for their funds in Malta.

After Malta joined the EU, the main focus has been on establishing hedge funds in the form of professional investor funds and assisting asset management companies, which have located offices in Malta. He also assists custodians and prime brokers on sub-custody and prime brokerage agreements and the firm issues the ISDA and GMRA opinions on derivatives and related matters. He participated in the drafting of new private and regulatory legislation required for the development of the Maltese financial centre. These include laws on netting, regulations on custody, revision of the law relating to trusts and fiduciary obligations and a law on securitisation. Dr Ganado was a member of the Legal Certainty Group set up by the EU Commission covering, inter alia, the legal effects of book entry systems for securities.

Other Practice Areas

Max Ganado also features in the following practice areas:

• Shipping & Maritime