Source: OJ L, 2024/1640, 19.6.2024Current language: EN
- Anti-money laundering
Basic legislative acts
- Sixth anti-money laundering (AML 6) directive
Article 54 Supervisory measures towards establishments of obliged entities and certain activities carried out under the freedom to provide services
Summary What does Article 54 of the Sixth anti-money laundering (AML 6) directive say?
This article deals with the cross-border enforcement mechanics that apply when an obliged entity operates establishments or other infrastructure in a host Member State — specifically in contexts covered by Article 38(1), where the host supervisor holds supervisory responsibility.
It lays out a structured escalation process: the host supervisor identifies a breach and requests remediation, and if the obliged entity fails to act, the matter is escalated to the home supervisor who must then take appropriate measures.
As an exception to this general flow, in cases of serious, repeated or systematic breaches, host supervisors may act unilaterally on a temporary basis.
The article closes by providing AMLA as a final arbiter if home and host supervisors cannot agree on the measures to be taken.
Important points:
- Host Member State supervisors are required to notify the home Member State supervisors of identified breaches and their remediation requests, and home supervisors must act promptly to ensure the obliged entity remedies those breaches.
- Host Member State supervisors may take their own temporary measures without waiting for the home supervisor in cases of serious, repeated or systematic breaches.
- Where home and host supervisors disagree on the measures to be taken, either may refer the matter to AMLA, which must provide its opinion within 1 month.
Springlex's summary of the article, a reading aid, not a substitute for the legal text.
In the case of establishments of obliged entities that do not as such qualify as credit institutions or financial institutions or of types of infrastructure of obliged entities over which the supervisor of the host Member State exercises supervision pursuant to Article 38(1), paragraphs 2 to 5 of this Article shall apply.
Where the supervisors of the host Member State identify breaches of applicable requirements, they shall request the obliged entities operating through the establishments or types of infrastructure as referred to in paragraph 1 to comply with the applicable requirements and inform the supervisors of the home Member State of the breaches identified within those obliged entities and of the request to comply.
Where the obliged entities fail to take the necessary action, the supervisors of the host Member State shall inform the supervisors of the home Member State accordingly.
The supervisors of the home Member State shall act promptly and take all appropriate measures to ensure that the obliged entity concerned remedies the breaches detected in its establishments or types of infrastructure in the host Member State. The supervisors of the home Member State shall inform the supervisors of the host Member State of any actions taken pursuant to this paragraph.
By way of derogation from paragraph 3, in situations of serious, repeated or systematic breaches by obliged entities operating through establishments or other types of infrastructure in their territory as referred to in paragraph 1 that require immediate remedies, supervisors of the host Member State shall be allowed at their own initiative to take appropriate and proportionate measures to address those breaches. Those measures shall be temporary and be terminated when the breaches identified are addressed, including with the assistance of or in cooperation with the supervisors of the home Member State of the obliged entity.
Member States shall ensure that the supervisors of the host Member State inform the supervisor of the home Member State of the obliged entity immediately upon identification of the serious, repeated or systematic breaches and upon taking any measure pursuant to the first subparagraph, unless measures are taken in cooperation with the supervisors of the home Member State.
Where the supervisors of the home and host Member States disagree on the measures to be taken in relation to an obliged entity, they may refer the matter to AMLA and request its assistance in accordance with Articles 33 and 38 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1620. AMLA shall provide its opinion on the matter of disagreement within 1 month.
Springlex and this text is meant purely as a documentation tool and has no legal effect. No liability is assumed for its content. The authentic version of this act is the one published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Definition
crypto-asset services
Definition
supervisor
Definition
host Member State
Definition
financial mixed activity holding company
Definition
crypto-asset service provider
Definition
credit institution
- a credit institution as defined in Article 4(1), point (1), of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013;
- a branch of a credit institution, as defined in Article 4(1), point (17), of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013, when located in the Union, whether its head office is located in a Member State or in a third country;
Definition
home Member State
Definition
crypto-asset
Definition
establishment
- a branch or subsidiary;
- in the case of credit institutions and financial institutions, an infrastructure qualifying as an establishment under prudential regulation;
Definition
property
Definition
financial institution
- an undertaking other than a credit institution or an investment firm, which carries out one or more of the activities listed in points (2) to (12), (14) and (15) of Annex I to Directive 2013/36/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council(32), including the activities of currency exchange offices (bureaux de change), but excluding the activities referred to in point (8) of Annex I to Directive (EU) 2015/2366, or an undertaking the principal activity of which is to acquire holdings, including a financial holding company, a mixed financial holding company and a financial mixed activity holding company;
- an insurance undertaking as defined in Article 13, point (1), of Directive 2009/138/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(33), insofar as it carries out life or other investment-related assurance activities covered by that Directive, including insurance holding companies and mixed-activity insurance holding companies as defined, respectively, in Article 212(1), points (f) and (g), of Directive 2009/138/EC;
- an insurance intermediary as defined in Article 2(1), point (3), of Directive (EU) 2016/97 where it acts with respect to life insurance and other investment-related insurance services, with the exception of an insurance intermediary that does not collect premiums or amounts intended for the customer and which acts under the responsibility of one or more insurance undertakings or intermediaries for the products which concern them respectively;
- an investment firm as defined in Article 4(1), point (1), of Directive 2014/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council(34);
- a collective investment undertaking, in particular:
- an undertaking for collective investment in transferable securities (UCITS) as defined in Article 1(2) of Directive 2009/65/EC and its management company as defined in Article 2(1), point (b), of that Directive or an investment company authorised in accordance with that Directive and which has not designated a management company, that makes available for purchase units of UCITS in the Union;
- an alternative investment fund as defined in Article 4(1), point (a), of Directive 2011/61/EU and its alternative investment fund manager as defined in Article 4(1), point (b), of that Directive that fall within the scope set out in Article 2 of that Directive;
- a central securities depository as defined in Article 2(1), point (1), of Regulation (EU) No 909/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council(35);
- a creditor as defined in Article 4, point (2), of Directive 2014/17/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council(36) and in Article 3, point (b), of Directive 2008/48/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(37);
- a credit intermediary as defined in Article 4, point (5), of Directive 2014/17/EU and in Article 3, point (f), of Directive 2008/48/EC, when holding the funds as defined in Article 4, point (25), of Directive (EU) 2015/2366 in connection with the credit agreement, with the exception of the credit intermediary carrying out activities under the responsibility of one or more creditors or credit intermediaries;
- a crypto-asset service provider;
- a branch of a financial institution referred to in points (a) to (i), when located in the Union, whether its head office is located in a Member State or in a third country;
Definition
third country
Definition
funds
Definition
obliged entity