Article 6

Path:
Investment Firms Regulation (IFR) > PART ONE > TITLE II > CHAPTER 1 > Article 6
Title:
Article 6
Description: 
Exemptions
Main content: 

1.   Competent authorities may exempt an investment firm from the application of Article 5 in respect of Parts Two, Three, Four, Six and Seven, where all of the following conditions apply:

(a)

the investment firm meets the conditions for qualifying as a small and non‐interconnected investment firm set out in Article 12(1);

(b)

one of the following conditions is satisfied:

(i)

the investment firm is a subsidiary and is included in the supervision on a consolidated basis of a credit institution, a financial holding company or a mixed financial holding company, in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 2 of Title II of Part One of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013;

(ii)

the investment firm is a subsidiary and is included in an investment firm group supervised on a consolidated basis in accordance with Article 7;

(c)

both the investment firm and its parent undertaking are subject to authorisation and supervision by the same Member State;

(d)

the authorities competent for the supervision on a consolidated basis in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 or in accordance with Article 7 of this Regulation agree to such an exemption;

(e)

own funds are distributed adequately between the parent undertaking and the investment firm, and all of the following conditions are satisfied:

(i)

there is no current or foreseen material practical or legal impediment to the prompt transfer of capital or repayment of liabilities by the parent undertaking;

(ii)

upon prior approval by the competent authority, the parent undertaking declares that it guarantees the commitments entered into by the investment firm or that the risks in the investment firm are of negligible interest;

(iii)

the risk evaluation, measurement and control procedures of the parent undertaking include the investment firm; and

(iv)

the parent undertaking holds more than 50 % of the voting rights attached to shares in the capital of the investment firm or has the right to appoint or remove a majority of the members of the investment firm’s management body.

2.   Competent authorities may exempt investment firms from the application of Article 5 in respect of Part Six where all of the following conditions apply:

(a)

the investment firm meets the conditions for qualifying as a small and non‐interconnected investment firm set out in Article 12(1);

(b)

the investment firm is a subsidiary and is included in the supervision on a consolidated basis of an insurance or reinsurance undertaking in accordance with Article 228 of Directive 2009/138/EC;

(c)

both the investment firm and its parent undertaking are subject to authorisation and supervision by the same Member State;

(d)

the authorities competent for the supervision on a consolidated basis in accordance with Directive 2009/138/EC agree to such an exemption;

(e)

own funds are distributed adequately between the parent undertaking and the investment firm and all of the following conditions are satisfied:

(i)

there is no current or foreseen material practical or legal impediment to the prompt transfer of capital or repayment of liabilities by the parent undertaking;

(ii)

upon prior approval by the competent authority, the parent undertaking declares that it guarantees the commitments entered into by the investment firm or that the risks in the investment firm are of negligible interest;

(iii)

the risk evaluation, measurement and control procedures of the parent undertaking include the investment firm; and

(iv)

the parent undertaking holds more than 50 % of the voting rights attached to shares in the capital of the investment firm or has the right to appoint or remove a majority of the members of the investment firm’s management body.

3.   Competent authorities may exempt investment firms from the application of Article 5 in respect of Part Five where all of the following conditions are satisfied:

(a)

the investment firm is included in the supervision on a consolidated basis in accordance with Chapter 2 of Title II of Part One of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 or is included in an investment firm group for which Article 7(3) of this Regulation applies and the exemption provided for in Article 7(4) does not apply;

(b)

the parent undertaking, on a consolidated basis, monitors and has oversight at all times over the liquidity positions of all institutions and investment firms within the group or sub‐group that are subject to a waiver and ensures a sufficient level of liquidity for all of those institutions and investment firms;

(c)

the parent undertaking and the investment firm have entered into contracts that, to the satisfaction of the competent authorities, provide for the free movement of funds between the parent undertaking and the investment firm to enable them to meet their individual obligations and joint obligations as they become due;

(d)

there is no current or foreseen material, practical or legal impediment to the fulfilment of the contracts referred to in point (c);

(e)

the authorities competent for the supervision on a consolidated basis in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 or in accordance with Article 7 of this Regulation agree to such an exemption.


(1)  OJ C 378, 19.10.2018, p. 5.

(2)  OJ C 262, 25.7.2018, p. 35.

(3)  Position of the European Parliament of 16 April 2019 (not yet published in the Official Journal) and decision of the Council of 8 November 2019.

(4)  Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 on prudential requirements for credit institutions and investment firms and amending Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 (OJ L 176, 27.6.2013, p. 1).

(5)  Directive 2013/36/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 on access to the activity of credit institutions and the prudential supervision of credit institutions and investment firms, amending Directive 2002/87/EC and repealing Directives 2006/48/EC and 2006/49/EC (OJ L 176, 27.6.2013, p. 338).

(6)  Directive 2014/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 on markets in financial instruments and amending Directive 2002/92/EC and Directive 2011/61/EU (OJ L 173, 12.6.2014, p. 349).

(7)  Directive (EU) 2019/2034 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 on the prudential supervision of investment firms and amending Directives 2002/87/EC, 2009/65/EC, 2011/61/EU, 2013/36/EU, 2014/59/EU and 2014/65/EU (see page 64 of this Official Journal).

(8)  Regulation (EU) 2019/876 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 2019 amending Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 as regards the leverage ratio, the net stable funding ratio, requirements for own funds and eligible liabilities, counterparty credit risk, market risk, exposures to central counterparties, exposures to collective investment undertakings, large exposures, reporting and disclosure requirements, and Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 (OJ L 150, 7.6.2019, p. 1).

(9)  Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/61 of 10 October 2014 to supplement Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 of the European Parliament and the Council with regard to liquidity coverage requirement for Credit Institutions (OJ L 11, 17.1.2015, p. 1).

(10)  Regulation (EU) No 1093/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 November 2010 establishing a European Supervisory Authority (European Banking Authority), amending Decision No 716/2009/EC and repealing Commission Decision 2009/78/EC (OJ L 331, 15.12.2010, p. 12).

(11)  Regulation (EU) 2019/630 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 amending Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 as regards minimum loss coverage for non-performing exposures (OJ L 111, 25.4.2019, p. 4).

(12)  Directive (EU) 2019/878 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 2019 amending Directive 2013/36/EU as regards exempted entities, financial holding companies, mixed financial holding companies, remuneration, supervisory measures and powers and capital conservation measures (OJ L 150, 7.6.2019, p. 253).

(13)  Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 on markets in financial instruments and amending Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 (OJ L 173, 12.6.2014, p. 84).

(14)  Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 November 2010 establishing a European Supervisory Authority (European Securities and Markets Authority), amending Decision No 716/2009/EC and repealing Commission Decision 2009/77/EC (OJ L 331, 15.12.2010, p. 84).

(15)  Directive (EU) 2015/849 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 2015 on the prevention of the use of the financial system for the purposes of money laundering or terrorist financing, amending Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and repealing Directive 2005/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Commission Directive 2006/70/EC (OJ L 141, 5.6.2015, p. 73).

(16)  OJ L 123, 12.5.2016, p. 1.

(17)  Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2012 on OTC derivatives, central counterparties and trade repositories (OJ L 201, 27.7.2012, p. 1).

(18)  Directive (EU) 2015/2366 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2015 on payment services in the internal market, amending Directives 2002/65/EC, 2009/110/EC and 2013/36/EU and Regulation (EU) No 1093/2010, and repealing Directive 2007/64/EC (OJ L 337, 23.12.2015, p. 35).

(19)  Directive 2009/138/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2009 on the taking-up and pursuit of the business of Insurance and Reinsurance (Solvency II) (OJ L 335, 17.12.2009, p. 1).

(20)  Directive 2013/34/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 on the annual financial statements, consolidated financial statements and related reports of certain types of undertakings, amending Directive 2006/43/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Council Directives 78/660/EEC and 83/349/EEC (OJ L 182, 29.6.2013, p. 19).

(21)  Regulation (EU) 2015/2365 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2015 on transparency of securities financing transactions and of reuse and amending Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 (OJ L 337, 23.12.2015, p. 1).

(22)  Directive 2002/87/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2002 on the supplementary supervision of credit institutions, insurance undertakings and investment firms in a financial conglomerate and amending Council Directives 73/239/EEC, 79/267/EEC, 92/49/EEC, 92/96/EEC, 93/6/EEC and 93/22/EEC, and Directives 98/78/EC and 2000/12/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 35, 11.2.2003, p. 1).

(23)  Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2017/593 of 7 April 2016 supplementing Directive 2014/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to safeguarding of financial instruments and funds belonging to clients, product governance obligations and the rules applicable to the provision or reception of fees, commissions or any monetary or non‐monetary benefits (OJ L 87, 31.3.2017, p. 500).

(24)  Council Directive 86/635/EEC of 8 December 1986 on the annual accounts and consolidated accounts of banks and other financial institutions (OJ L 372, 31.12.1986, p. 1).

(25)  Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/578 of 13 June 2016 supplementing Directive 2014/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on markets in financial instruments with regard to regulatory technical standards specifying the requirements on market making agreements and schemes (OJ L 87, 31.3.2017, p. 183).

(26)  Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/567 of 18 May 2016 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to definitions, transparency, portfolio compression and supervisory measures on product intervention and positions (OJ L 87, 31.3.2017, p. 90).

(27)  Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation) (OJ L 119, 4.5.2016, p. 1).

(28)  Regulation (EU) No 806/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 July 2014 establishing uniform rules and a uniform procedure for the resolution of credit institutions and certain investment firms in the framework of a Single Resolution Mechanism and a Single Resolution Fund and amending Regulation (EU) No 1093/2010 (OJ L 225, 30.7.2014, p. 1).