TITLE II

AUTHORISATION AND OPERATING CONDITIONS FOR INVESTMENT FIRMS
CHAPTER IV

Provision of investment services and activities by third country firms
Section 1

Provision of services or performance of activities through the establishment of a branch

Establishment of a branch
Article 39
1
A Member State may require that a third-country firm intending to provide investment services or perform investment activities with or without any ancillary services to retail clients or to professional clients within the meaning of Section II of Annex II in its territory establish a branch in that Member State.
2
Where a Member State requires that a third-country firm intending to provide investment services or to perform investment activities with or without any ancillary services in its territory establish a branch, the branch shall acquire a prior authorisation by the competent authorities of that Member State in accordance with the following conditions:
a
the provision of services for which the third-country firm requests authorisation is subject to authorisation and supervision in the third country where the firm is established and the requesting firm is properly authorised, whereby the competent authority pays due regard to any FATF recommendations in the context of anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism;
b
cooperation arrangements, that include provisions regulating the exchange of information for the purpose of preserving the integrity of the market and protecting investors, are in place between the competent authorities in the Member State where the branch is to be established and competent supervisory authorities of the third country where the firm is established;
c
sufficient initial capital is at free disposal of the branch;
d
one or more persons are appointed to be responsible for the management of the branch and they all comply with the requirement laid down in Article 9(1);
e
the third country where the third-country firm is established has signed an agreement with the Member State where the branch is to be established, which fully comply with the standards laid down in Article 26 of the OECD Model Tax Convention on Income and on Capital and ensures an effective exchange of information in tax matters, including, if any, multilateral tax agreements;
f
the firm belongs to an investor-compensation scheme authorised or recognised in accordance with Directive 97/9/EC.
3
The third-country firm referred to in paragraph 1 shall submit its application to the competent authority of the Member State where it intends to establish a branch.