Blevins Franks

Blevins Franks is a British advisory firm with half a century of experience helping UK nationals manage their money when life spans more than one country. Its Maltese company, Blevins Franks Wealth Management Ltd, works from the Gasan Centre on Triq il-Mergħat in Mrieħel, the business district on the edge of Birkirkara, and serves clients across Malta and Gozo. The same building houses the group's administration, legal and operations teams, which makes Malta far more than a satellite office.

For a British reader retiring to the island, moving here for work or heading back to the UK after years abroad, the firm offers joined up advice on tax, pensions, investments and inheritance. On VisitMalta.co.uk it is listed among our pension advisers in Malta and in our wider directory of financial advisers in Malta.

Fifty years of advising British expatriates

The story begins in September 1975, when David Franks set up the partnership of Blackstone Franks. Bill Blevins arrived in 1983 to build the financial advice side, and together they shaped the firm that carries both their names. A tax advisory service launched in 1988, the same year the first overseas offices opened in Spain, and the first of the firm's Living in country guides followed a year later.

Offices in France and Portugal came in the mid 1990s, a trust company was formed in 1996, and in 1998 the administrative hub opened in Malta. Cyprus followed in 2002 and a dedicated pensions advisory service in 2009. In 2012 John Stone and John Simmonds acquired the business together with its Partners, and it remains owned by management and locally based Partners today. The London office moved to St James's Square in 2013, the French adviser Siddalls was bought in 2014, and the firm marked its 50th anniversary in 2025 under the promise of constant advice in times of constant change.

Regulation and the Malta companies

Blevins Franks Wealth Management Limited, company number C 92917, is authorised and regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority. It holds permissions under the Investment Services Act and the Insurance Distribution Act, and uses EU passporting under the MiFID and IDD rules to advise clients in other member states. It also gives tax advice through qualified tax specialists.

A sister company, Blevins Franks Trustees Limited, is also regulated by the MFSA, in its case for administering trusts, retirement schemes and companies. In the UK, advice comes from Blevins Franks Financial Management Limited, which is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. All three belong to Blevins Franks Group Limited, whose registered office is the Gasan Centre in Mrieħel. Readers who want to understand how Malta supervises firms like these can turn to our overview of Malta's financial services industry.

Tax, estate and pension planning

Tax sits at the centre of the service. A British retiree in Malta might still own a flat in England, draw a UK pension and hold savings in both countries, and each of those can be taxed differently on each side of the border. A London based tax team covers UK taxation alongside specialists in Maltese, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Cypriot tax, so advice reflects both the UK rules and those of the country you live in, and how the two interact. The aim is to keep tax on income, capital gains, pensions, wealth and inheritances as low as the rules allow. The tax service works under the codes of the Chartered Institute of Taxation, the Association of Tax Technicians and the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. For a general introduction before you speak to anyone, see our guide to Malta tax for UK nationals.

Estate planning focuses on passing assets to the heirs you choose as efficiently as possible, and the firm can set up and run trusts where they suit a client's wider plans. The news pages track changes that matter to British families abroad, such as the switch due in April 2027 that brings many UK pension funds within the scope of inheritance tax on death.

Pension specialists, qualified to at least Level 4 as recognised by the FCA, advise on UK schemes and on overseas arrangements such as QROPS and QNUPS, which are recognised overseas and non UK pension schemes used by people living outside Britain. They can review every option, restructure pension savings to fit a client's goals and consolidate several pots into one.

Investments and responsible investing

An in-house investment team researches funds and assets for clients with very different objectives, drawing on relationships with major international investment houses and consultancies. Portfolios are built to protect wealth and help it grow over time, and environmental, social and governance factors form part of every suitability assessment, so clients who care about how their money is used can see those principles reflected in their holdings.

Advisers work closely with the technical teams in London and Malta to turn this research into a personal plan, then review it as circumstances, tax rules and markets change.

Moving to Malta, retiring here or going home

Blevins Franks advises four broad groups: Britons already living in southern Europe, those planning to leave the UK, those moving back, and people who live permanently in the UK. Since 2022 its European Emigration Advisory Service has published visa and residency guides for UK nationals moving to Malta, Spain, France, Portugal or Cyprus to live on pensions and investments. For Malta there are separate guides to the global, permanent and retirement visas, plus a Malta tax guide and a Living in Malta book.

Our UK guide to relocating to Malta covers the practical steps of a move, and our Malta weather guide shows what the climate is like month by month, a big draw for retirees. Where clients need a local lawyer or accountant, the firm can introduce English speaking professionals it works with; business owners can also compare CLA Malta's tax and company services in our directory.

The people and the wider network

The group has 20 offices across seven countries: its London head office, the Malta hub and regional offices in Spain, France, Portugal, Cyprus and Monaco. Partners, financial advisers and private client managers are all regulated and qualified to at least FCA Level 4, and most of the local advisers have lived as expatriates themselves. John Stone chairs the board and James Roberts is chief executive, with Michael Pace Balzan as group finance director, Alan Calleja as trust director and Amanda Borg as head of compliance among the senior team.

Staff support small local causes through the Blevins Franks Charitable Foundation, launched in early 2017 and funded mainly by employees, with the business matching what they raise. By January 2025 it had backed 435 causes with €363,500, and Malta staff have contributed with home baking sales.

Learning before committing is encouraged. Seminars bring clients and prospective clients up to date on tax, succession, pensions and investing while giving them a chance to meet local advisers face to face. Webinars cover moving abroad, returning to the UK and other wealth questions from the comfort of home, and advisers staff stands at exhibitions in the UK and elsewhere to answer questions about life overseas. Short videos and radio interviews add to the free library of downloadable guides, which makes it easy to understand the main issues before you book a meeting.

Visiting the Mrieħel office

The Malta office is in the Gasan Centre on Triq il-Mergħat in Mrieħel's Central Business District, in the centre of the island and within easy reach of Valletta, Birkirkara and the old capital described in our Mdina guide. Clients on Gozo are looked after from here too, and our Gozo guide is a good introduction for anyone thinking of settling on the sister island.

Every plan is built around the individual, so there is no price list. The simplest way to begin is to explain your situation in a few lines, whether that is a pension decision, an inheritance question or a planned move. Use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to Blevins Franks, whose advisers will reply to you directly.