Cap. 371 Art. 29AASupervisory measures related to financial holding companies and mixed financial holding companies.

(1) Without prejudice to any other power of the competent authority under this Act or any other law, where the competent authority is the consolidating supervisor and has established that the conditions set out in article 11B(4) are not met or have ceased to be met, the competent authority shall take the appropriate supervisory measures to ensure or restore, as the case may be, continuity and integrity of consolidated supervision and ensure compliance with the requirements laid down in this Act and any regulations made and Banking Rules issued thereunder transposing the CRD, in any binding legal instruments issued under the CRD, and in the CRR, on a consolidated basis. In the case of a mixed financial holding company, the supervisory measures applied by the competent authority as the consolidating supervisor shall, in particular, take into account the effects on the financial conglomerate. The supervisory measures referred to in this sub-article shall include:

(a) withdrawing the approval granted to a financial holding company or mixed financial holding company in terms of article 11B;

(b) suspending the exercise of voting rights attached to the shares of the subsidiary institutions held by the financial holding company or mixed financial holding company;

(c) issuing administrative measures or administrative penalties, in terms of this Act and any regulations made or Banking Rules issued thereunder, against the financial holding company, the mixed financial holding company or the directors and managers, subject to the provisions of national law transposing Articles 65 to 72 of the CRD;

(d) issuing instructions or directions to the financial holding company or mixed financial holding company, to transfer to its shareholders the participations in its subsidiary institutions;

(e) issuing a directive to the financial holding company or mixed financial holding company in terms of Article 4B;

(f) designating on a temporary basis another financial holding company, mixed financial holding company or institution within the group as responsible for ensuring compliance with the requirements laid down in this Act and, or any regulations made and, or Banking Rules issued thereunder transposing the CRD, in the CRD and, or in the CRR on a consolidated basis;

(g) restricting or prohibiting distributions or interest payments to shareholders;

(h) requiring financial holding companies or mixed financial holding companies to divest from, or reduce, holdings in institutions or other financial sector entities;

(i) requiring financial holding companies or mixed financial holding companies to submit a plan on return, without delay, to compliance;

(j) restraining any person within financial holding companies or mixed financial holding companies and, or financial holding companies or mixed financial holding companies from taking, or continuing to take, any action as a result of which the conditions set out in article 11B(4) are not met or have ceased to be met;

(k) requiring any person within financial holding companies or mixed financial holding companies and, or financial holding companies or mixed financial holding companies to take such steps as may be necessary to restore the position existing immediately before any action, as a result of which the conditions set out in article 11B(4) are not met or have ceased to be met, was taken;

(l) restraining any person within financial holding companies or mixed financial holding companies and, or financial holding companies or mixed financial holding companies from exercising any rights which a lawful action, as a result of which the conditions set out in article 11B(4) are not met or have ceased to be met, would have conferred upon them, including the right to receive any payment or to exercise any voting rights attaching to the shares acquired;

(m) any measure under article 29 of this Act:

Provided that in exercising any of its powers under article 29, the provisions of the said article shall apply and mutatis mutandis, provided further that any reference to ''the credit institution'' shall be deemed to be reference to ''the financial holding company" and, or "the mixed financial holding company", as applicable.

(2) Where the competent authority intends to withdraw an approval in accordance with sub-article (1)(a), it shall serve written notice of its intention on the financial holding company or mixed financial holding company; such notice shall specify the grounds upon which the competent authority intends to take such action and shall specify a period, being a period not less than forty-eight hours and not more than thirty calendar days, in which the financial holding company or mixed financial holding company shall be entitled to make representations to the competent authority as to why such action should not be taken. Unless the competent authority decides that the matter is urgent, it shall not withdraw an approval before the expiry of such period.

(3) For the purpose of taking decisions on the supervisory measures referred to in sub-article (1), where the financial holding company or the mixed financial holding company is established in a Member State other than Malta and the competent authority is the consolidating supervisor, the competent authority shall work together with the overseas regulatory authority in the Member State where the financial holding company or the mixed financial holding company is established, as the case may be, in full consultation.

(4) Where the competent authority is not the consolidating supervisor but the financial holding company or the mixed financial holding company is established in Malta, the competent authority shall, for the purposes of taking decisions on the supervisory measures referred to in Article 21a(6) of the CRD, work together with the overseas regulatory authority acting as the consolidating supervisor in full consultation.

(5) Where the competent authority is the consolidating supervisor and where the financial holding company or the mixed financial holding company is not established in Malta, the competent authority shall prepare an assessment on the matters referred to in sub-article (1), and shall forward that assessment to the overseas regulatory authority in the Member State where the financial holding company or the mixed financial holding company is established.

(6) The competent authority, whether acting as the consolidating supervisor or whether it is in receipt of an assessment referred to in Article 21a(8) of the CRD from the overseas regulatory authority acting as the consolidating supervisor, shall do everything within its powers to reach a joint decision on the measures referred to in sub-article (1) of this article and, or in Article 21a(6) of the CRD, with the overseas regulatory authority in the Member State where the financial holding company or the mixed financial holding company is established or with the overseas regulatory authority acting as the consolidating supervisor, as the case may be, within two months of receipt of that assessment:

Provided that the joint decision shall be duly documented and reasoned and where the competent authority is the consolidating supervisor, it shall communicate the joint decision to the financial holding company or the mixed financial holding company.

(7) In the event of a disagreement between the competent authority and the overseas regulatory authority acting as the consolidating supervisor or with the overseas regulatory authority in the Member State where the financial holding company or the mixed financial holding company is established, as the case may be, the competent authority shall refrain from taking the joint decision referred to in sub-article (6) and shall refer the matter to the EBA in accordance with Article 19 of Regulation (EU) No. 1093/2010. In such cases, the competent authority shall adopt a joint decision with the overseas regulatory authority acting as the consolidating supervisor or with the overseas regulatory authority in the Member State where the financial holding company or the mixed financial holding company is established, as the case may be, in conformity with the decision of the EBA:

Provided that the matter shall not be referred to the EBA after the end of the two-month period referred to in sub-article (6) or after a joint decision has been reached.

(8) In the case of mixed financial holding companies, where the coordinator appointed in terms of Article 10 of Directive 2002/87/EC is neither the competent authority, nor the overseas regulatory authority acting as the consolidating supervisor, nor the overseas regulatory authority in the Member State where the mixed financial holding company is established, the agreement of the said coordinator shall be required for the purposes of the decisions or joint decisions referred to in sub-article (1) of this article and, or in Article 21a(6) of the CRD, as applicable.

Where the agreement of the coordinator is required, the competent authority shall refer any disagreements to the relevant European Supervisory Authority, namely, to the EBA or to the European Supervisory Authority (European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority) (EIOPA), established by Regulation (EU) No. 1094/2010, which shall take its decision within one month of receipt of the referral. Any decision taken in accordance with this sub-article shall be without prejudice to the obligations under Directive 2002/87/ EC or Directive 2009/138/EC.