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Month: June 2026

Minister of State visits Monaco’s twin engines of entrepreneurship

by: Cassandra Tanti
03/06/2026

Christophe Mirmand, Monaco’s Minister of State, and Frédéric Cottalorda, Conseiller de Gouvernement-Ministre des Finances et de l’Economie, visited two of the Principality’s flagship entrepreneurship programmes on Monday — Monaco Boost and MonacoTech — in a joint visit that underlined the government’s commitment to developing Monaco’s homegrown business ecosystem.

The two structures serve distinct but complementary purposes. Monaco Boost, the state-owned business incubator based in Fontvieille, was established in 2021 as a launchpad specifically for Monégasques and their spouses, providing workspace, professional support and networking opportunities to early-stage businesses. MonacoTech, co-founded in 2017 by the Monaco Government and Monaco Telecom with the expertise of Xavier Niel, operates as a startup accelerator open to all nationalities, with a focus on innovative companies across sectors including greentech, biotech, yachting, artificial intelligence and fintech.

Together, the numbers reflect steady progress. Since its opening, Monaco Boost has supported 95 companies, while MonacoTech has backed 72 entrepreneurs since its launch nine years ago.

Monaco’s government minister at Monaco Boost. Photo credit: Stephane Danna, Government Communications Department

Direct exchanges with entrepreneurs

The ministers were received by Julien Dejanovic, Managing Director of Monaco Boost, and Chloé Boscagli, Director of MonacoTech, who presented the missions, achievements and future outlook of each programme. The visit included direct conversations with founders and startup teams, giving the government a first-hand view of the projects currently in development across both structures.

Mirmand used the occasion to recognise the entrepreneurial energy driving Monaco’s economy, reaffirming that innovation and talent development remain central to the Principality’s broader ambitions for economic attractiveness and international standing.

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Main photo of MonacoTech, credit: Stephane Danna, Government Communications Department

Historic first season ends in promotion to Regional Division for Monaco United

by: Kayla Sauceda
03/06/2026

Monaco United secured promotion to the Regional Division after a dominant playoff performance against Étoile d’Aubune, concluding a historic debut season for the club. Following commanding 10-1 and 6-1 victories across the two matches, Monaco officially sealed promotion after an unbeaten season.

In their first matchup, on home soil, Monaco quickly delivered a commanding performance, beating their opponents 10-1 and gaining a considerable advantage heading into their away match on 31 May. The team’s message before that match was clear: remain focused, preserve their unbeaten record, and secure a victory to conclude the season.

President and Head Coach Marco Simone led his team into the second match with an emphasis on starting strongly and controlling the flow of the match from the opening minutes. Alicia Sweye did exactly that, scoring in the first few minutes for Monaco and allowing the team to control the rhythm of play. By halftime, Monaco had found themselves ahead 3-0, allowing Simone to rotate players so that each member of the team could take part in what was a special moment for the club.

The team’s momentum continued into the second half, resulting in a 6-1 final score and securing Monaco’s promotion to the Regional Division next season.

“Creating a club from scratch and seeing it grow so quickly brings a unique feeling. This season, we built far more than a team: we built a family,” Simone shared following this victory.

The historic season featured a District Championship Title, Marenco Cup Title, a Mediterranean Cup final appearance, and promotion to the Regional Division. Beyond this, the season proved to be much more significant than just trophies. Less than a year ago, the team essentially had nothing. The club required meticulous building: assembling the squad, developing chemistry, creating an identity, and establishing a team culture. The team has surpassed these steps and become a truly united group with strong values, cohesion, and team spirit.

“We are extremely happy with what we have achieved, and we hope to continue this momentum in the Regional Division. We needed to remain faithful to our identity throughout the season without ever changing our habits, and we succeeded in imposing our style of play,” Captain Houleyemata Deme shared after the victory.

For Simone, however, the promotion represents only the beginning. “Monaco United was created to build something sustainable, innovative, and unique in women’s football. This promotion is a magnificent achievement, but above all, it marks the beginning of our story.”

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Photo credit: Flare Vision

Monaco prepares to host Council of Europe sports ministers’ conference in November

by: Cassandra Tanti
03/06/2026

A Monégasque delegation attended the annual meeting of the Council of Europe’s Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport in Strasbourg on 27th and 28th May, using the occasion to present preparations for one of the flagship events of Monaco’s historic first presidency of the Committee of Ministers: the 19th Conference of Ministers Responsible for Sport, to be held in the Principality on 3rd and 4th November 2026.

The delegation comprised Florian Botto, Adviser at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, and Michael Landau, Administrator at the Directorate of National Education, Youth and Sports. Their presentation outlined the preparatory work already under way for the November conference, which is expected to bring together close to 300 participants at the Grimaldi Forum and will serve as the concluding event of Monaco’s six-month presidency.

Children at the centre of the debate

The conference theme — ‘A Safer and Healthier Sport for All Children’ — shaped the discussions in Strasbourg, with delegates and youth representatives exchanging views that are expected to feed directly into the ministerial decisions to be adopted in Monaco in November. The breadth of the debate reflected the seriousness with which member states are approaching the subject, from safeguarding and mental health to access and inclusion across youth sport.

The Strasbourg meeting also gave Monaco the opportunity to present the results of the first expert evaluation of the implementation of the European Sport Charter in the Principality, carried out during a visit to Monaco on 18th and 19th March 2026 — an exercise that allowed the delegation to reaffirm Monaco’s commitment to the values and objectives enshrined in the Charter.

Monaco’s historic presidency

Monaco assumed the presidency of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers on 15th May 2026 — the first time the Principality has held this role since joining the organisation in 2004. The six-month mandate, which runs until 10th November, is structured around priorities including sports ethics, the protection of children’s rights and the fight against gender-based violence.

Ambassador Gabriel Revel, Monaco’s Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe and President of the Committee of Ministers’ Deputies, also attended the Strasbourg meeting in that capacity, presenting the priority work of the organisation under Monaco’s leadership.

Full information on the November conference is available at sportministerial2026.gouv.mc.

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Photo source: Government Communications Department 

 

Basketball: Monaco open Betclic Elite semifinals with 103-88 win over Nanterre

by: Kayla Sauceda
03/06/2026

Monaco found their rhythm late to defeat Nanterre 103-88 on 1 June at Salle Gaston Médecin, taking a 1-0 lead in the Betclic Elite best-of-five semifinal series.

After two victories against Bourg-en-Bresse in the previous round, Monaco maintained their winning streak on their chase for another title. The beginning of the game saw a typical Roca Team, one that had chemistry at times and moments of sloppiness at others. Consecutive turnovers in the first quarter gave Nanterre an opportunity to capitalize and find their momentum.

Monaco, however, recovered from these mistakes as the team reclaimed their lead. The two teams battled closely in the second quarter, with much of the game remaining within a single possession. Heading into halftime, however, Nanterre claimed the lead with a 3-point shot to head into the locker rooms over Monaco 50-49.

The second half of the game brought a different intensity from both teams, as if the halftime break had amplified the weight of the moment. Similarly to the second quarter, the third saw Monaco reclaim their lead, though Nanterre remained within striking distance throughout another tightly contested quarter. Although the third quarter can often be the Roca Team’s kryptonite, Monaco managed to avoid letting the game slip away.

The atmosphere builds at Salle Gaston Médecin as Monaco and Nanterre battle in Game 1. Photo credit: Kayla Sauceda / Monaco Life

Quarter four is when Monaco really came to life and showed what they are capable of – exactly why they remain championship contenders. The early minutes saw Monaco knocking down shots, tightening up defensively, and controlling the boards. Despite unfavorable calls, which could be heard throughout the arena as it filled with boos, Monaco remained truly composed. It was as if the calls sparked extra motivation for players as they often followed up with a steal or momentum shifting play to fire back. After entering the quarter only up by four, this rhythm put Monaco up by 15 points only 2.5 minutes into the quarter.

As Monaco continued to build on their lead and momentum, the energy in the arena was electric. The team’s espoirs even had the opportunity to come in for the final moments of the game to finish with the win.

Each player fulfilled their role by the end of the night. Although it took some time to discover which role that would be for the evening, by the final quarter things simply worked. Jaron Blossomgame and Matthew Strazel each put up 23 points, while Elie Okobo and Nemanja Nedovic had 9 and 7 assists, respectively.

For Monaco, the challenge now becomes simple: carry the rhythm of the fourth quarter into Game 2 on Wednesday 3rd June.

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 Main photo credit: AS Monaco Basket

Italian shoemaker Santoni brings hand-painted leather craft to new Monaco flagship

by: Virginia D’Umas
03/06/2026

Every shoe that leaves Santoni’s factory in the Marche region of Italy starts its life white. The raw leather remains untreated until the shoe is fully constructed — only then do a team of decorators, recruited from fine art institutes, begin applying the colour by hand, layer by layer, in a technique borrowed from Renaissance painting.

That process, known as velatura, or colour glazing, is at the centre of what the Italian footwear maison presented to press in Monaco last month, as it opened a new flagship boutique in the Principality.

Craft at scale

The tension between artisanal production and commercial volume is one Santoni chairman Giuseppe Santoni addressed directly. “It is a beautiful fusion of the ‘engineered artisan’ and the ‘humanist engineer,'” he said. “The digital designer must understand that a human being will ultimately build the shoe by hand, accepting those natural physical limits. Meanwhile, the artisan follows a structured blueprint to maintain our standard.”

Around 200 decorators work at the brand’s 50,000-square-metre facility in Corridonia, in the Province of Macerata, where 90% of production is handled in-house. The workforce overall numbers close to 1,000 people. Digital engineering is used to design models, fits, and lasts, but the finishing remains manual — a system the brand describes as “replicable quality”.

The sustainability case for leather

Santoni used the Monaco launch to address the growing debate around synthetic alternatives to leather, with the chairman making a direct argument in favour of natural materials. “No animal is ever raised or slaughtered purely for footwear. The tanning industry actually rescues a byproduct of the food industry — it is, in reality, a form of recycling,” he said.

At the Corridonia factory, leather offcuts are ground down and repurposed into internal shoe components such as heels and reinforcements. All dyes used are water-based. Solar panels installed across the facility’s rooftops generate approximately two megawatts of electricity, and with energy storage batteries capturing power on non-working days, the company self-produces around two-thirds of its total energy needs.

Monaco capsule and bespoke services

To mark the boutique opening, Santoni has produced a small capsule collection in the red and white of the Monegasque flag, including a Monaco-specific shade of red developed for the occasion. The new store also offers a made-to-order service and a fully bespoke option, in which a craftsman takes individual foot measurements and carves a custom wooden last, which is then archived in Italy for future orders.

Santoni’s Monaco opening adds the Principality to a retail presence that includes New York, Miami, Rome, and Capri.

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Photos by Monaco Life

 

A new light show on the Palace facade to headline the Grimaldi historic sites gathering this June

by: Cassandra Tanti
03/06/2026
Rencontres Grimaldi 

The Place du Palais will transform into an open-air festival of culture, craft and gastronomy on 13th and 14th June 2026, as the Fédération des Sites historiques Grimaldi de Monaco hosts the seventh edition of its Rencontre des Sites historiques — a free, public weekend gathering that traces the centuries-old connections between Monaco’s ruling dynasty and the territories it once held across France and Italy.

This year’s invited regions span five areas with documented Grimaldi ties: the Alpes-Maritimes villages of Ascros and Marie, the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence commune of Roumoules, Fontaine-Française in Côte-d’Or, the town of Mayenne, and the Piedmontese communes of Pianezza and Livorno Ferraris in Italy. Each carries a distinct chapter of Grimaldi history — from the 14th-century vassalage of the lords of Marie to the Grimaldi of Beuil, to the marriage in 1777 that brought the Duchy of Mayenne to the princes of Monaco through Cardinal Mazarin’s line, to Jeanne-Marie Grimaldi’s 17th-century union with the Marquis of Pianezza.

A weekend of living history

Prince Albert II will open proceedings on Saturday morning with an address and the presentation of trophies to the mayors of the invited communes. The day’s programme on the Palace stage moves between performances by La Palladienne de Monaco, the Orchestra Fiati Giovanni XXII from Piedmont, the Palio dij Sëmna Sal — a traditional flag-throwing display — and magic shows by Romain Fouques. The Compagnie des Carabiniers du Prince will perform the changing of the guard at 11:55am.

Sunday brings a different kind of spectacle, with two demonstrations of the Pàijeda — Monaco’s own martial art — by Claude Pouget, alongside further magic performances and all-day animations including calligraphy workshops by Christiane Galeotti and activities by Foi Action Rayonnement.

Throughout both days, artisans and producers from all five regions will fill the square with regional crafts and foods: handmade ceramics from Ascros, goat’s cheeses from the Alpes-Maritimes, the legendary Acquerello rice from Livorno Ferraris, handcrafted pasta and agnolotti from Pianezza, Mayenne textiles and mosaics, and luxury perfumes from Pianezza-based Xerjoff, among dozens of others.

Saturday night: a new son et lumière on the Palace facade

The highlight of the weekend arrives on Saturday evening, when the Orchestre des Carabiniers du Prince performs at 9pm before giving way, at 10pm, to a new son et lumière production projected directly onto the facade of the Prince’s Palace. This year’s show is a new creation conceived by Jean-Charles Curau, Secretary General of the Prince Pierre Foundation; Thomas Fouilleron, Director of the Palace Archives and Library; and Vincent Vatrican, Director of the Institut Audiovisuel de Monaco. It is produced by Alexis Gabirot of Mageo Productions.

The projection traces the historical threads connecting the Grimaldi dynasty to each of the territories represented at this year’s gathering — a visual retelling of marriages, fiefs, alliances and inheritances that shaped the Principality’s reach across centuries of European history.

Entry to the entire weekend, including the son et lumière, is free. The event is accessible via the Parking des Pêcheurs on the Chemin des Pêcheurs. Security checks, including metal detectors and bag inspections, will be in place at the entrance.

Further information at federationsitesgrimaldi.mc and pavillonmonaco.com.

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Photo source: Government Communications Department