APS Bank

In Qormi, APS Bank has a branch on St Sebastian Street, numbers 70 to 72. It is a tellerless branch: there is no cashier counter, but it has an ATM and a deposit machine, and customers use appointments for matters such as opening accounts, discussing loans and sorting out card or online banking problems.

APS has been part of Maltese life since 1910 and calls itself the community bank in Malta. This page sits in our directory of banks in Malta, and it is written for UK readers who live in Malta, own a property here or run a business, and want to understand what this branch and the bank behind it can do.

The Qormi branch in practice

The branch address is 70 to 72 St Sebastian Street, Qormi QRM 2335. The bank's locator lists two facilities there: an ATM and a deposit machine. Because there is no cashier service, over-the-counter cash handling is not part of a visit, so people who need to pay in cash use the machine, and everything else is done through an adviser or online.

The branch network shares one set of opening hours. From 1 October to 14 June the doors open from 08:30 to 14:00 Monday to Thursday, from 08:30 to 16:00 on Friday and from 08:30 to 12:30 on Saturday. In summer, from 15 June to 30 September, weekday hours are 08:30 to 14:00 and Saturday is 08:30 to 12:00. Branches close on public holidays, Easter Monday and 26 December, and on selected Tuesdays for staff training, such as 2 November and 17 November, they open at 10:00.

Customers aged 60 and over and holders of the EU Disability Card are served first between 08:30 and 09:30 on weekdays. Between 13:00 and 14:00 from Monday to Friday every branch runs an autism friendly hour, with lights turned down, noise kept low and moving screens replaced by still images. The Contact Centre answers seven days a week between 08:00 and 21:00, with an overnight service run by a partner centre that works in English.

Who APS Bank is

APS Bank is one of the oldest banks on the Maltese Islands. Its vision is to be the community bank in Malta, and its mission is to make banking simpler and more personal, guided by social, economic and environmental progress. Its five values are excellence, authenticity, passion, inclusion and a contemporary outlook.

The bank's head office is the APS Centre on Tower Street in Birkirkara, covered separately in our entry for APS Bank Birkirkara. Its distribution network combines branches and ATMs with an electronic banking platform, and it belongs to the European Federation of Ethical and Alternative Banks and Financiers. A related company, APS Funds Sicav, is a multi-fund investment company licensed as a collective investment scheme and listed on the Malta Stock Exchange.

Beyond banking, the bank puts effort into its staff and community. Recent news pieces cover a football team in the Champions Bank Tournament, a sports inclusion network event and the use of AI assistants to help colleagues.

Accounts, cards and day to day banking

Personal customers can open current accounts, savings accounts, an online account, a student account and term deposits, and a basic payment account is also listed. A dormant account, one with no withdrawal for a year, attracts a fee of €20 a year, which you can avoid by making a withdrawal once a year or closing the account. Joint accounts can be opened by both holders sending a secure message through the myAPS service or visiting a branch together.

Debit cards are free of charge to replace, and a new card keeps the same number and PIN when it expires. Cards work with Apple Pay and can also be added to a Fitbit. A change of card colour costs €5. Online card payments are approved with a push notification in the myAPS app within five minutes, with a text message code available only as a fallback. Lost cards can be blocked through the Contact Centre at any hour.

Cash is simple. All withdrawals at APS ATMs are free, and customers get four free withdrawals a month at other local banks' machines. Cashere APS ATMs, which carry both brands, accept debit cards for free unlimited withdrawals but do not take deposits. Anyone who needs an official statement can request one for €3, while e-statements are free through myAPS. If you are arranging a move, our guide to relocating to Malta from the UK and Malta tax guide for UK nationals explain the background.

Credit cards and borrowing

APS issues classic and gold credit cards. The classic limit is €6,000 and the gold card limit is up to €10,000, with cashback of €0.01 for every €10 spent on classic and €0.02 on gold. Purchase protection insurance, provided by Atlas Insurance, covers accidental loss, theft or damage to retail purchases. The gold card adds travel insurance for trips of up to 45 days, vehicle excess cover and life insurance on the outstanding balance. A smaller PAVI-PAMA card with a limit of €500 earns loyalty points at PAVI and PAMA shops.

Credit card repayments are normally taken by direct debit at the greater of five per cent of the balance or €15, so the nominated account needs enough money in it by 08:00 at least one working day before the due date. On the lending side the bank offers personal loans, home loans, a green home loan, eco loans and student loans, with a home loan calculator online. A loan drawdown request form can be submitted through myAPS or at a branch.

For independent mortgage guidance, our directory lists Alecta Advisors, and for a broker comparing insurers, AIB Insurance Brokers sits close to Qormi. APS is itself a registered tied insurance intermediary.

Investments, funds and pensions

APS Investments offers a free financial planning service and gives access to investment advisors in branches and relationship managers for those who need closer attention. Three service styles are available: execution only, where the bank carries out your decisions; advisory, where it advises and you decide; and discretionary, where you agree objectives and risk appetite and the bank makes the decisions. Products include local and foreign bonds and shares, exchange traded funds, mutual funds, foreign currencies, insurance policies and pension plans.

The bank's own APS Funds are UCITS funds, a regulated European fund structure. Investors can use a monthly savings plan from €50 or a lump sum from €1,000, and choose between distributor shares that pay out income and accumulator shares that reinvest it. There is also a personal pension plan and an occupational pension scheme. Investment holdings can be viewed online in myAPS. The wider picture of the sector is explained in our overview of financial services in Malta.

Business banking and merchant services

Business customers can open an account by calling the Contact Centre or visiting a branch. The bank typically finances up to 70 per cent of the capital investment for a business loan, depending on affordability, with the owner supplying the remaining 30 per cent from savings, and the loan term depends on the useful life of the asset being financed. Adding a new payee on a business profile requires an application at the branch that holds the accounts.

Merchant acquiring lets a business accept debit and credit cards. The bank works with a partner that offers online onboarding, 24 hour technical support and detailed reporting, and the money is paid into your APS business account. Nearby professional firms include Apex Group (Malta) and AE Business Advisors for corporate and advisory work.

Regulation, complaints and how to start

APS Bank plc, registration number C2192, is regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority as a credit institution and for investment services, and it is registered as a tied insurance intermediary. The website is designed for residents of Malta. Complaints are free to raise, are acknowledged within two working days, and a final answer should not take more than 35 business days. Customers who remain dissatisfied can go to the Office of the Arbiter for Financial Services.

Customers can talk to the bank in English or Maltese. If you are exploring the island while sorting out your banking, our Valletta guide is a good starting point for a day in the capital.

To ask about the Qormi branch, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to the bank.