What keeps Malta’s CEOs awake at night? – Finance Incorporated Ltd CEO Cenk Kahraman

Behind the boardroom confidence, CEOs are juggling competing demands. So, we asked five of Malta’s business leaders what keeps them up at night. Their candid answers reveal the tensions, trade-offs and frustrations influencing leadership in 2026 – from AI disruption and workforce strain to bureaucracy, cash flow and changing regulations.

Here’s what Finance Incorporated Ltd CEO Cenk Kahraman had to say.

What keeps you awake at night as a CEO in Malta right now?

The scale and speed of global and EU-wide competition. It requires constant focus to ensure we remain competitive despite pressure from multiple fronts.

Where do you see the biggest threat to your business growth?

Sudden changes in regulation and global trends, as when the rules shift quickly, long-term planning becomes more complex and decisions carry greater risk.

What’s your biggest operational headache right now?

Finding and attracting skilled workers. Growth depends on people, and getting the right team in place is one of the biggest challenges we face.

What’s the toughest decision you’re facing this year?

Deciding how and where to diversify into other jurisdictions in a way that supports sustainable growth while safeguarding long-term resilience.

What industry trend worries you most?

AI, given how quickly it is evolving and reshaping expectations across industries.

Apart from Cenk Kahraman, MaltaCEOs.mt also spoke to Harald Roesch (CEO of Melita), Dr James Cassar (Managing Director of 242 Group), Josef Said (CEO of Konnekt), and Alexander Chetcuti (CEO of Lift Services Ltd) on this subject. Watch this space as these interviews will be published in the following days on our website.

This forms part of a feature first published on Malta CEOs 2026, the sister print brand to MaltaCEOs.mt, both owned by Content House.