E-commerce grant Malta 2026: what still pays for your online shop
The old e-Commerce Grant is closed, but your online shop can still be part-funded. Digitalise your SME and Micro Invest both cover e-commerce in 2026 and 2027. Here’s which one fits, and the one rule that catches people out.
- The old e-Commerce Grant Scheme (up to €5,000 at 50%) is currently closed.
- Your online shop can still be part-funded. Digitalise your SME covers e-commerce platforms: up to 50% in Malta, 60% in Gozo, on rolling cut-offs until the end of 2026.
- Micro Invest 2026–2030 turns 65% of website and software costs into a tax credit (85% in Gozo). Applications open on 1 January 2027.
- The rule that catches people out: for Micro Invest, the written agreement must be signed before the work starts.
People search “e-commerce grant Malta” every week, and most of what they find is out of date. Here’s what is actually open right now, and how to pick.
Is the e-Commerce Grant still open?
No. The e-Commerce Grant Scheme on FONDI.eu paid up to €5,000, at up to 50% of costs, for an online shop or booking site with a CMS, a payment gateway and basic analytics. Its page says it is currently closed, with no new call announced.
It may come back. Until it does, two other routes cover the same kind of project, and both can fund more than €5,000.
Route 1: Digitalise your SME (open now)
This is the scheme to look at first if you want to start this year. It part-funds going digital, and e-commerce platforms are on its list, next to software, automation, cyber security, cloud and AI.
- How much: up to 50% of eligible costs in Malta, 60% in Gozo, with a top-up for projects that include AI.
- When: Call 2 runs on rolling cut-offs roughly every 15 days until the end of 2026, while the budget lasts.
- Who: SMEs operating in Malta and Gozo.
We broke it down step by step in our Digitalise your SME guide.
Route 2: Micro Invest 2026–2030 (tax credit)
Micro Invest isn’t cash in your account. It’s a tax credit: part of what you spend comes off the tax you’d pay on future profits. For a small business that makes a profit, it’s often the bigger number.
- How much: 65% of eligible costs for businesses in Malta, 85% in Gozo, up to €65,000 over three years (plus €20,000 more for Gozo, family-owned, women-owned and social enterprises).
- What it covers: website and software development, SaaS set-up, and hosting and maintenance when they come with the new build.
- Who: companies, partnerships and the self-employed with at least one employee and up to 50, VAT registered.
- When: applications open on 1 January 2027, covering costs from the previous years.
The catch: the website work must be under a written agreement signed before the work begins. Sign after, and the credit is gone. More in our Micro Invest guide.
Which one should you go for?
- You want to start now and you’re an SME: Digitalise your SME. Plan the project and apply at the next cut-off.
- You’re small, profitable and can wait for the credit: Micro Invest. Sign the agreement first, then build.
- You’re in Gozo: both schemes give you a higher rate. Use it.
What every application has in common: a clear project. What the shop sells, how people pay, how it connects to your stock, what it costs and when it goes live. The businesses that turn up with that get through faster.
What a funded online shop should include
- A checkout that works on a phone. Most of your buyers will come from Instagram on a phone.
- Local payments: cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay, with a gateway that pays out to a Maltese bank.
- Delivery rules for Malta, Gozo and the EU, with honest cut-off times.
- VAT set up properly for local and EU customers.
- Analytics, so you know what sells. The old grant even required it.
- Your own site, your own customers. A shop you own beats a marketplace listing that takes a cut of every sale.
Not sure which platform? Read WordPress vs Shopify vs Wix first.
This is a plain-English overview, not financial advice. Schemes, rates and dates change, so check FONDI.eu, Malta Enterprise or your accountant before you sign anything.
Where we come in
We build online shops that are ready for a grant from day one: a clear written scope signed before we start, an itemised quote your accountant can file, and a shop that sells on a phone. See what we build and the shops and sites we’ve shipped.