Source: OJ L, 2024/1624, 19.6.2024Current language: EN
- Anti-money laundering
Basic legislative acts
- Anti-money laundering regulation (AMLR)
Article 21 Inability to comply with the requirement to apply customer due diligence measures
Summary What does Article 21 of the Anti-money laundering regulation (AMLR) say?
This article sets out the consequences for obliged entities when they are unable to complete the customer due diligence measures required under Article 20.
The core rule is straightforward: if due diligence cannot be carried out, the obliged entity must stop, refuse, or exit the relationship and consider filing a suspicious transaction report with the FIU.
The article also carves out important nuances — terminating a relationship does not mean funds owed to the entity cannot be received, and it does not require the disposal of a customer's assets where the entity has a duty to protect them.
A specific alternative measure is provided for life insurance contracts.
Certain legal professionals are exempted from the main rule when acting in a legal advisory or representational capacity, though that exemption falls away if they are knowingly involved in facilitating money laundering or terrorist financing.
The article also requires obliged entities to keep records of all actions taken, including decisions to refuse or terminate.
Finally, AMLA is tasked with issuing joint guidelines with the European Banking Authority on measures credit and financial institutions can take in this context, particularly regarding de-risking.
Important points:
- If customer due diligence cannot be completed, stop the transaction or exit the relationship and consider reporting to the FIU.
- Legal professionals acting in a genuine advisory or representational capacity are exempt from the main rule, unless they are knowingly facilitating money laundering or terrorist financing.
- Keep records of all decisions and actions taken when applying, refusing, or terminating due diligence — including where alternative measures are used.
Springlex's summary of the article, a reading aid, not a substitute for the legal text.
Where an obliged entity is unable to comply with the requirement to apply customer due diligence measures laid down in Article 20(1), it shall refrain from carrying out a transaction or establishing a business relationship, and shall terminate the business relationship and consider reporting a suspicious transaction to the FIU in relation to the customer in accordance with Article 69.
The termination of a business relationship pursuant to the first subparagraph of this paragraph shall not prohibit the receipt of funds as defined in Article 4, point (25), of Directive (EU) 2015/2366 due to the obliged entity.
Where an obliged entity has a duty to protect its customer’s assets, the termination of the business relationship shall not be understood as requiring the disposal of the assets of the customer.
In the case of life insurance contracts, obliged entities shall, where necessary as an alternative measure to terminating the business relationship, refrain from performing transactions for the customer, including payouts to beneficiaries, until the customer due diligence measures laid down in Article 20(1) are complied with.
Paragraph 1 shall not apply to notaries, lawyers, other independent legal professionals, auditors, external accountants and tax advisors, to the extent that those persons ascertain the legal position of their client, or perform the task of defending or representing that client in, or concerning, judicial proceedings, including providing advice on instituting or avoiding such proceedings.
The first subparagraph shall not apply when the obliged entities referred to therein:
take part in money laundering, its predicate offences or terrorist financing;
provide legal advice for the purposes of money laundering, its predicate offences or terrorist financing; or
know that the client is seeking legal advice for the purposes of money laundering, its predicate offences or terrorist financing; knowledge or purpose may be inferred from objective factual circumstances.
Obliged entities shall keep record of the actions taken in order to comply with the requirement to apply customer due diligence measures, including records of the decisions taken and the relevant supporting documents and justifications. Documents, data or information held by the obliged entity shall be updated whenever the customer due diligence is reviewed pursuant to Article 26.
The obligation to keep records provided for in the first subparagraph of this paragraph shall also apply to situations where obliged entities refuse to enter into a business relationship, terminate a business relationship or apply alternative measures pursuant to paragraph 1.
By 10 July 2027, AMLA shall issue joint guidelines with the European Banking Authority on the measures that may be taken by credit institutions and financial institutions to ensure compliance with AML/CFT rules when implementing the requirements of Directive 2014/92/EU, including in relation to business relationships that are most affected by de-risking practices.
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
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
crypto-asset
Definition
property
Definition
terrorist financing
Definition
money laundering
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
business relationship