Article 9 Requirements applicable to shareholders and members with qualifying holdings

The competent authority shall verify that the request of an applicant for authorisation as an investment firm, in accordance to the United Kingdom’s legislation corresponding to Title II of Directive 2014/65/EU, offers sufficient guarantees for a sound and prudent management of the entity by assessing the suitability of proposed shareholders and members with qualifying holdings, having regard to the likely influence on the investment firm of each proposed shareholder or member with qualifying holdings, against all of the following criteria:

1. (a)

   the reputation and experience of any person who will direct the business of the investment firm;

2. (b)

   the reputation of the proposed shareholders and members with qualifying holdings;

3. (c)

   the financial soundness of the proposed shareholders and members with qualifying holding, in particular in relation to the type of business pursued and envisaged in the investment firm;

4. (d)

   whether the investment firm will be able to comply and continue to comply with the prudential requirements set out in the United Kingdom’s legislation implementing Article 15 of Directive 2014/65/EU and, where applicable, the United Kingdom’s legislation implementing Directives 2002/87/EC and 2013/36/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council and in particular, whether the group of which it will become a part has a structure that makes it possible to exercise effective supervision;

5. (e)

   whether there are reasonable grounds to suspect that, in connection with the authorisation of the investment firm, money laundering or terrorist financing within the meaning of the United Kingdom’s legislation corresponding to Article 1 of Directive 2005/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (3) is being or has been committed or attempted, or that the authorisation of the investment firm could increase the risk thereof.