https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/107864 2026-04-05T04:25:29Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/108963 Title: A study of fraudulent activity within the Maltese insurance sector during the COVID-19 pandemic Abstract: The purpose of this study is to determine the magnitude of the issue of insurance fraud in Malta during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Fraud is an increasing concern in many industries, particularly in the insurance business. Insurance fraud is commonly seen as a victimless crime because no one is hurt. However, this is not the case because insurance fraud impacts policyholders' premiums owing to the expenditures and expenses involved. A variety of measures and techniques can be employed to prevent fraudulent behaviour. The author's aim with this research is to discover the approaches utilised by insurance sector participants to detect fraud during the pandemic. Furthermore, the author wishes to ascertain the actions taken by the same players to deter and combat such behaviour within the sector. Furthermore, the pandemic has led many people to adopt desperate measures to fulfil their bills and the cost of living. Insurance fraud may be done in a variety of ways, including false claims, staged incidents, and non-disclosure. The author relied on primary data throughout this study. Semi-structured interviews with professionals in the Maltese insurance business provided the primary data. The interviews were designed to elicit participants' perspectives and raise awareness about insurance fraud during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The author's aim for this study was to discover and understand whether the insurance sector had been affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic and the methods implemented to prevent and detect fraudulent behaviour in the insurance business during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The author finds that the insurance industry had been affected and the approaches now being employed to reduce insurance fraud are critical, especially during the pandemic. However, it became clear throughout the course of this research that more information should be provided to the public on the repercussions of fraud to influence the public's opinion of this issue, and that insurance firms should monitor and keep data regarding fraudulent activity during the pandemic Description: M.Sc.(Melit.) 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/108947 Title: A study on the determinants of demand for travel insurance Abstract: The market for travel insurance is expanding and will keep on doing so in the near future. In view of this, it is essential to understand the primary factors that influence customer demand for travel insurance. This dissertation will therefore seek to analyse the key determinants of demand for travel insurance among Maltese residents given that this study was based in Malta, which is significant considering the country’s expanding tourism sector. Insight into the factors that influence travel insurance demand in the Maltese market will thus be provided, attempting to fill the gap in literature with regards to travel insurance demand and perceptions of travel insurance in Malta. Apart from this, this dissertation also seeks to examine the apprehensions and attitudes towards travel insurance in the Maltese society and the effect of COVID-19 on the demand for travel insurance. The author collected primary data by means of a self-administered online questionnaire given that there is limited data regarding the determinants of travel insurance demand in Malta. Maltese individuals over the age of 18 were asked to complete a questionnaire which required perspectives from individuals with different backgrounds, demographic and socioeconomic variables. The general findings of this study are that firstly, the majority of Maltese citizens regard travel insurance to be much more useful and common nowadays and consider it worth buying. Another interesting finding was that gender does not have a bearing on how much an individual is willing to pay for travel insurance. Furthermore, the likelihood of obtaining travel insurance following COVID-19 is the same across different employment status groups and the amount of premium willing to be paid is also the same across all employment status groups. Age and Educational Level Achieved were found to be significant determinants of travel insurance demand in Malta. Finally, it was found that following the COVID-19 outbreak, people are more likely to obtain a travel insurance policy, implying that COVID-19 is also a driver of travel insurance purchase amongst the Maltese Description: M.Sc.(Melit.) 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/108923 Title: A study on the challenges in accepting cryptocurrencies as a fiat currency Abstract: This study looks at the challenges that at present are impeding cryptocurrencies from functioning as a fiat currency, in order to determine what needs to be changed to alleviate such issue. To fulfill this purpose, this study seeks to uncover factors which are deemed as significant by the public in order for them to consider using cryptocurrencies as a fiat currency. Further, the study seeks to identify whether such factors are significantly impacted by the different socio-economic and demographic groups. In conducting this study, the author examined ample literature, to understand better the notion of cryptocurrencies, risks associated with cryptocurrencies, and also challenges which currently are impeding cryptocurrencies from functioning as a fiat currency. From the literature, the author developed an online questionnaire with the intention of revealing factors that would ensure acceptance and adoption of cryptocurrencies as a fiat currency. The results from the study indicate that factors such as perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, trust, facilitating conditions, perceived risk, security, and attitude were all found to be significant. These findings suggest that such factors are key determinants in influencing the public’s overall decision in accepting and adopting cryptocurrencies as a fiat currency. Furthermore, the author found that such factors are significantly impacted by different demographic groups mainly gender, completed level of education, and level of knowledge on cryptocurrencies. These findings call for remedial action by various relevant stakeholders, namely the government, regulators, financial institutions, and cryptocurrency firms to ensure that cryptocurrencies are adequately regulated to minimize as much as possible the risks and misuses associated with cryptocurrencies whilst at the same time advocating for innovative crypto projects to thrive and integrate in the economy. The author also recommends that people working in government agencies or in financial institutions to pursue relevant courses, seminars, and training sessions to increase their knowledge in relation to cryptocurrencies. The general public should also be encouraged to educate themselves on the area of cryptocurrencies. Furthermore, cryptocurrency firms should ensure to design their products and systems more securely and user friendly so that people are encouraged to use cryptocurrencies. Such entities should also ensure to remain fully compliant with the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know-Your-Customer rules to reduce the risk of cryptocurrencies being used for illicit purposes. Description: M.Sc.(Melit.) 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/108922 Title: A study of the factors affecting the acceptance of the use of telematics in health insurance : a local scenario Abstract: The aim of this research is to determine the factors affecting the acceptance of the use of telematics in health insurance, whilst considering the Maltese market. This is done to address the lack of telematics’ use within the health insurance area. In order to be able to generate results, the researcher collected data quantitively through the use of surveys and asked several questions related to the adoption of telematics and other concerns related to the technology, such as data privacy issues, and premium setting. Exploratory Factor Analysis, Cronbach’s Alpha, Linear Regression and Friedman’s Test were used to be able to analyse the raw data collected and draw up conclusions. As a result, this study found that there are four factors that determine the acceptance of telematics in health insurance which are: the technological use associated with the use of telematics and its costs, the social influence on the use of the telematics, the effects of being tracked, sharing of data and price changes and lastly, data obligations of the insurer. All the factors were regressed with the independent variables of age, gender, educational level, area, income and having a health insurance policy, to determine if individuals are affected by them in adopting health insurance telematics. Moreover, the first factor is known to mostly affect the level of acceptance, which is the technological use associated with the use of telematics and its costs. Overall, this suggests that the results of this study are in line with what other studies concluded, with minor differences that may have been a result of the difference in culture. Description: M.Sc.(Melit.) 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z