Source: OJ L, 2024/1624, 19.6.2024Current language: EN
- Anti-money laundering
Basic legislative acts
- Anti-money laundering regulation (AMLR)
Article 38 Specific measures for individual third-country respondent institutions
Summary What does Article 38 of the Anti-money laundering regulation (AMLR) say?
This article builds directly on Articles 36 and 37, which set out the due diligence requirements for correspondent relationships, and introduces a supervisory escalation mechanism driven by AMLA.
The core of the article is a structured process by which AMLA can issue a recommendation to credit institutions and financial institutions when a third-country respondent institution is identified as having serious AML/CFT deficiencies.
Once such a recommendation is issued, the institutions concerned face concrete obligations: they must refrain from entering new correspondent relationships with the flagged institution, review and potentially terminate existing ones, and inform the respondent of their conclusions.
The article also covers the conditions under which AMLA can issue or withdraw a recommendation, including a requirement to first consult the third-country supervisor and allow a 2-month window for a response before proceeding.
Important points:
- AMLA is required to consult the third-country supervisor before issuing a recommendation, and a recommendation can only be issued where there is agreement among financial supervisors in the Union that the respondent institution poses a risk.
- When an AMLA recommendation is in place, refrain from entering new correspondent relationships with the flagged third-country institution unless you can conclude that the associated AML/CFT risks are adequately mitigated.
- Document any decision taken under this article.
Springlex's summary of the article, a reading aid, not a substitute for the legal text.
Credit institutions and financial institutions shall apply the measures laid down in paragraph 6 of this Article in relation to third-country respondent institutions with which they have a correspondent relationship pursuant to Articles 36 or 37 and in respect of which AMLA issues a recommendation pursuant to paragraph 2 of this Article.
AMLA shall issue a recommendation addressed to credit institutions and financial institutions where there are concerns that respondent institutions in third countries fall into any of the following situations:
they are in serious, repeated or systematic breach of AML/CFT requirements;
they have weaknesses in their internal policies, procedures and controls that are likely to result in serious, repeated or systematic breaches of AML/CFT requirements;
they have in place internal policies, procedures and controls that are not commensurate with the risks of money laundering, its predicate offences and terrorist financing to which the third-country respondent institution is exposed.
The recommendation referred to in paragraph 2 shall be issued where all of the following conditions are met:
on the basis of the information available in the context of its supervisory activities, a financial supervisor, including AMLA when performing its supervisory activities, deems that a third-country respondent institution falls into any of the situations listed in paragraph 2 and may affect the risk exposure of the correspondent relationship;
following an assessment of the information available to the financial supervisor referred to in point (a) of this paragraph, there is an agreement among financial supervisors in the Union that the third-country respondent institution falls into any of the situations listed in paragraph 2 and may affect the risk exposure of the correspondent relationship.
Prior to issuing the recommendation referred to in paragraph 2, AMLA shall consult the third-country supervisor in charge of the respondent institution and request that it provides its own as well as the respondent institution’s views on the adequacy of AML/CFT policies, procedures and controls as well as of the customer due diligence measures the respondent institution has in place to mitigate risks of money laundering, its predicate offences and terrorist financing and remedial measures to be put in place. Where no reply is provided within 2 months or where the reply provided does not indicate that the third-country respondent institution can implement satisfactory AML/CFT policies, procedures and controls as well as apply adequate customer due diligence measures to mitigate the risks to which it is exposed that may affect the correspondent relationship, AMLA shall proceed with the recommendation.
AMLA shall withdraw the recommendation referred to in paragraph 2 as soon as it considers that a third-country respondent institution on which it adopted that recommendation no longer fulfils the conditions laid down in paragraph 3.
In relation to third-country respondent institutions referred to in paragraph 1, credit institutions and financial institutions shall:
abstain from entering into new business relationships with the third-country respondent institution unless they conclude, on the basis of the information collected under Article 36 or 37, that the mitigating measures applied to the business relationship with the third-country respondent institution and the measures in place in the third-country respondent institution can adequately mitigate the money laundering and terrorist financing risks associated with that business relationship;
for ongoing business relationships with the third-country respondent institution:
review and update the information on the respondent institution pursuant to Articles 36 or 37;
terminate the business relationship unless they conclude, on the basis of the information collected under point (i), that the mitigating measures applied to the business relationship with the third-country respondent institution and the measures in place in the third-country respondent institution can adequately mitigate the money laundering and terrorist financing risks associated with that business relationship;
inform the respondent institution of the conclusions they have drawn in relation to the risks posed by the correspondent relationship following the recommendation by AMLA and the measures taken pursuant to points (a) or (b).
Where AMLA has withdrawn a recommendation pursuant to paragraph 5, credit institutions and financial institutions shall review their assessment as to whether the third-country respondent institutions fulfil any of the conditions laid down in paragraph 3.
Credit institutions and financial institutions shall document any decision taken pursuant to this Article.
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
financial mixed activity holding company
Definition
crypto-asset service provider
Definition
cash
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
correspondent relationship
- the provision of banking services by one credit institution as the correspondent to another credit institution as the respondent, including providing a current or other liability account and related services, such as cash management, international transfers of funds as defined in Article 4, point (25), of Directive (EU) 2015/2366, cheque clearing, payable-through accounts and foreign exchange services;
- the relationships between and among credit institutions and financial institutions including where similar services are provided by a correspondent institution to a respondent institution, and including relationships established for securities transactions or transfers of funds as defined in Article 4, point (25), of Directive (EU) 2015/2366, transactions in crypto-assets or transfers of crypto-assets;
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