Latest / IMI Podcasts / This Week in IM - Aug 21: 🇲🇹 Experts Examine CBM Model, 🇱🇻 GV to Growing 51%, 🇮🇹 90% Tax Exemption Guide for Academics, ++

Transcript

This Week in IM - Aug 21: 🇲🇹 Experts Examine CBM Model, 🇱🇻 GV to Growing 51%, 🇮🇹 90% Tax Exemption Guide for Academics, ++ · IMI Podcasts

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: You're listening to IMI this week.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: Malta has scrapped its Maltese Exceptional Investor Naturalization, or MEIN program, in favor of a citizenship by merit referred to as CBM model, where applicants are evaluated on philanthropic and talent-based criteria, which James Muscat as a party expects soon, rather than fixed investments.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: IMI Pro, Eric Major, and Christopher Willis argued the model is now much more defensible to EU scrutiny, but Serhan Isaver warned against financial contributions turning into disguised payments.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: Peru has lengthened its naturalization residency requirement to five years, ending its status as one of the few countries with a two-year citizenship process.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: This reform leaves Argentina and the Dominican Republic as the only nations with two-year timelines, while Singapore and Liberia have restricted versions.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: The new Peruvian framework introduces income requirements, interpol clearance, and a language test.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: New Zealand may ease its 2018 foreign buyer ban by allowing limited property purchases, though IMI pro experts remain unconvinced it will boost investor visa demand.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: James Hall argued property rarely interests investor visa holders, while Misha Manak Sopi suggested strict conditions will likely apply, but acknowledged that homeownership could strengthen New Zealand's long-term appeal.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: Saudi Arabia's premium residency program has received over 40,000 applications between 2024 and 2025.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: Approving 8,074 permits in 2024 alone, the overhaul expanded the program from two to seven tracks.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: Saudi real estate agent Mohammed Al-Wahhabi said foreign residents, who make up 40% of the Saudi population, and investors are seeking stability and freedom, especially with property access now tied to residency.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: Latvia's golden visa has surged in 2025, its best performance since 2021.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: Roberts Valpiters of EU law firm attributes this growth to processing delays in Greece and Portugal, which have pushed investors toward Latvia.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: Real estate investment rebounded strongly, while business investment retained a slim majority share.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: IME Pro Alatin Kielik argues that RCBI firms are failing to generate leads because of unclear positioning, weak products, and broken funnels.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: Firms need to define whether they excel in early-stage trust building or decision-stage execution, as each demands different strategies, he notes.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: Success comes from aligning offers and messaging with the client's decision journey.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: Italy might not be the first place academics think of when planning relocation, but maybe it should be.