St Julian's Finance

St Julian's Maritime Finance is a Malta-based leasing company for people who want to use a yacht or an aircraft without simply buying it outright. Trading as St Julian's Finance, it describes itself as an independent European asset-backed leasing provider working across maritime and aviation, and its motto is that ownership starts with the right structure.

The firm sits among the island's financial advisors in Malta and belongs to a sector that our overview of financial services in Malta explains in more detail. It is regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority under the Financial Institutions Act and is authorised to provide financial leasing.

Yacht and aircraft leasing

A lease lets a client use an asset while the finance company owns or holds security over it, with payments made in instalments over an agreed term. St Julian's Finance structures leases for yachts and for aircraft, tailored to each client's wider financial plans. The team's business development lead guides clients through the yacht leasing process, including the contract terms and the way VAT affects a lease.

The process starts once a lease is approved. The firm signs the agreement with both the client and the supplier, finalises valuation reports, insurance documents and bills of sale, and registers the yacht or aircraft. Security documents are put in place, the asset is delivered and the lease begins, after which instalments are managed for the length of the agreement. Each yacht or aircraft is held in its own ringfenced special purpose company, a structure the firm uses to keep every transaction separate.

Anyone buying a boat on the island may also want to speak to a broker, such as 73 Marine, a yacht broker, and to take independent legal advice from a firm such as Advocates Primei. This page describes services and does not give financial advice.

Who the firm serves

The firm's target clients are high-net-worth individuals operating across Europe. Finance exposure is kept within limits relative to a client's net assets, and the firm works from its base in Malta. Funding comes through facilities with a standalone approval and an annual review, supported by full due diligence and credit assessment. UK owners and buyers who are considering Malta can read our Malta tax guide for UK nationals and our overview of the corporate tax structure in Malta alongside any professional advice.

The firm also looks for funding partners, meaning banks and other lenders that provide the credit facilities behind its yacht and aircraft leasing. For readers moving to the island for work, our relocation guide is a useful companion.

Team and board

The management team combines banking, audit and yachting backgrounds. Willem Steenkamer is chief executive, Ylenia Keegan is chief financial officer and board secretary, and the team includes a head of accounts, senior accountants, a credit and risk officer, and an operations and fleet manager who looks after yacht administration.

The board is chaired by Tony Mahoney, a former senior HSBC executive who is also managing director of St Julian's Advisory. Non-executive members are Ron Huggett, a former deputy group treasurer at the Royal Bank of Scotland, Luke Calleja, Stefano Mallia, Angela Attard Fenech and Ian Mizzi. A local accountancy practice such as Accurit Accountancy can help owners with bookkeeping.

Contacting St Julian's Finance

The company is based in St Julian's, on the coast between Sliema and Paceville, and clients arriving for a meeting can look at hotels in Sliema and St Julian's. Owners who keep a boat in Malta might also plan a cruise to the Blue Lagoon at Comino.

Fees and rates are not published, since each lease is structured individually. Use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to St Julian's Maritime Finance, who will reply to you directly.