Simona Camilleri
Chief Legal and Regulatory Officer
Cubits
Malta
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5:00
The “alarm” these days goes off approximately every three hours throughout the night and comes in the shape of a new resident in our household — a two-week-old hungry little boy, weighing in 3.4 kilos, or about 7.5 pounds. He is growing quickly: adding one to two centimeters and 200 grams per week.
8:30
The day starts with my driver collecting me and the baby, who is wrapped up warm against the unusually rainy day, to take us to the Malta Blockchain Summit. It is extremely busy and bustling, with a record 8,500 persons attending the much-lauded and much-hyped conference and exhibition.
8:55
I arrive at the summit. My mum, who is on hand to take over the stroller and shop around at a nearby mall with the baby (and keep me on high alert in case he needs a feed), teases me on my choice of (flat) footwear. But I am confident that flat shoes on a rainy day in Malta two weeks after giving birth is an appropriate choice. After all, I feel slightly dizzy all the time. Plus, they go along well with my favorite pink quilted Chanel bag and a smart red tweed skirt suit.
9:00
I bypass the crowds and the queues forming to meet with Claudio, our conference event organizer who has pre-registered me with my VIP pass. He leads me to our booth at the conference, the largest one there with the biggest bar serving coffee and refreshments at this hour. I find myself amid a buzz of excited voices and eager persons waiting to hear about what Malta and the various companies that have set up shop under the auspices of the “Blockchain Island” have to offer. A mix of recognizable faces in the world of crypto and blockchain are present: investors, advisors, professional speakers on the blockchain circuit, lawyers, accountants, academics, developers, and hipsters. I greet my work colleagues and admire the booth and its attractive set-up.
9:25
I move toward the conference room where various sessions are being presented in 10-minute slots by well-known and not-so-well-known faces in the blockchain world. Some are from overseas and some are based in Malta. There are those who are choosing to discuss taxation of initial coin offerings; others are comparing the benefits or disadvantages of various jurisdictions, including Estonia, Malta, South Korea, Japan, and France, to a highly interested audience.
9:30
I can barely squeeze my way through the vast doors when I arrive and notice that the prime minister of Malta has just finished delivering his welcoming speech to all who have descended on the little Mediterranean island. The conference is part of a government-backed initiative to attract a new and potentially lucrative industry, as well as its highly skilled professionals and software developers, who could bolster an already very healthy and growing local economy.
11:00
A few discussions and open sessions later, I make my way back out to the hustle and bustle surrounding our booth. I hold a few meetings with banks and financial institutions, exploring new ways of working together, creating more value and choice for customers, and discussing regulatory restrictions and opportunities.
13:15
It’s now time to make a mad dash outside the building to sweep up my baby in my arms and feed him in the privacy of one of the restrooms. Then I take him back home to rest. I check and respond to various emails crowding in my inbox, amidst looming deadlines.
13:55
It’s back to the exhibition to meet the managing director of a company with which our company is exploring a joint venture.
17:30
Then it’s a sad nod to the bar (I cannot enjoy any alcohol at the moment!), and it’s time to head home and put my feet up.
18:00
I take notes from the latest meeting and play and cuddle the little one. I receive text messages from my boyfriend about all of the events and parties that are gaining traction as the evening slowly turns into night.
