Article 17 Branches and subsidiaries in third countries

Where branches or subsidiaries of obliged entities are located in third countriesmeans any jurisdiction, independent state or autonomous territory that is not part of the Union and that has its own AML/CFT legislation or enforcement regime; where the minimum AML/CFT requirements are less strict than those set out in this Regulation, the parent undertakingmeans:for groups whose head office is located in the Union, an obliged entity that is a parent undertaking as defined in Article 2, point (9), of Directive 2013/34/EU that is not itself a subsidiary of another undertaking in the Union, provided that at least one subsidiary undertaking is an obliged entity;for groups whose head office is located outside of the Union, where at least two subsidiary undertakings are obliged entities established in the Union, an undertaking within that group established in the Union that:is an obliged entity;is an undertaking that is not a subsidiary of another undertaking that is an obliged entity established in the Union;has a sufficient prominence within the group and a sufficient understanding of the operations of the group that are subject to the requirements of this Regulation; andis given the responsibility of implementing group-wide requirements under Chapter II, Section 2 of this Regulation; shall ensure that those branches or subsidiaries comply with the requirements laid down in this Regulation, including requirements concerning data protection, or equivalent.

Where the law of a third countrymeans any jurisdiction, independent state or autonomous territory that is not part of the Union and that has its own AML/CFT legislation or enforcement regime; does not permit compliance with this Regulation, the parent undertakingmeans:for groups whose head office is located in the Union, an obliged entity that is a parent undertaking as defined in Article 2, point (9), of Directive 2013/34/EU that is not itself a subsidiary of another undertaking in the Union, provided that at least one subsidiary undertaking is an obliged entity;for groups whose head office is located outside of the Union, where at least two subsidiary undertakings are obliged entities established in the Union, an undertaking within that group established in the Union that:is an obliged entity;is an undertaking that is not a subsidiary of another undertaking that is an obliged entity established in the Union;has a sufficient prominence within the group and a sufficient understanding of the operations of the group that are subject to the requirements of this Regulation; andis given the responsibility of implementing group-wide requirements under Chapter II, Section 2 of this Regulation; shall take additional measures to ensure that branches and subsidiaries in that third countrymeans any jurisdiction, independent state or autonomous territory that is not part of the Union and that has its own AML/CFT legislation or enforcement regime; effectively handle the risk of money launderingmeans the conduct set out in Article 3, paragraphs 1 and 5, of Directive (EU) 2018/1673 including aiding and abetting, inciting and attempting to commit that conduct, whether the activities which generated the property to be laundered were carried out on the territory of a Member State or on that of a third country; knowledge, intent or purpose required as an element of that conduct may be inferred from objective factual circumstances; or terrorist financingmeans the conduct set out in Article 11 of Directive (EU) 2017/541 including aiding and abetting, inciting and attempting to commit that conduct, whether carried out on the territory of a Member State or on that of a third country; knowledge, intent or purpose required as an element of that conduct may be inferred from objective factual circumstances;, and shall inform the supervisorsmeans the body entrusted with responsibilities aimed at ensuring compliance by obliged entities with the requirements of this Regulation, including AMLA when performing the tasks entrusted to it in Article 5(2) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1620; of its home Member State of those additional measures. Where the supervisorsmeans the body entrusted with responsibilities aimed at ensuring compliance by obliged entities with the requirements of this Regulation, including AMLA when performing the tasks entrusted to it in Article 5(2) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1620; of the home Member State consider that the additional measures are not sufficient, they shall exercise additional supervisory actions, including requiring the groupmeans a group of undertakings which consists of a parent undertaking, its subsidiaries, as well as undertakings linked to each other by a relationship within the meaning of Article 22 of Directive 2013/34/EU; not to enter into any business relationshipmeans a business, professional or commercial relationship connected with the professional activities of an obliged entity, which is set up between an obliged entity and a customer, including in the absence of a written contract and which is expected to have, at the time when the contact is established, or which subsequently acquires, an element of repetition or duration;, to terminate existing ones or not to undertake transactions, or to close down its operations in the third countrymeans any jurisdiction, independent state or autonomous territory that is not part of the Union and that has its own AML/CFT legislation or enforcement regime;.

By 10 July 2026, AMLA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards and submit them to the Commission for adoption. Those draft regulatory technical standards shall specify the type of additional measures referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article, including the minimum action to be taken by obliged entities where the law of a third countrymeans any jurisdiction, independent state or autonomous territory that is not part of the Union and that has its own AML/CFT legislation or enforcement regime; does not permit the implementation of the measures required under Article 16 and the additional supervisory actions required in such cases.

Power is delegated to the Commission to supplement this Regulation by adopting the regulatory technical standards referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article in accordance with Articles 49 to 52 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1620.