Providing a headquarters for business to a company from the same capital group and the status of an obligated institution

Purpose - By implementing Directive (EU) 2015/849 of the European Parliament and of the Council of May 20, 2015, the Polish legislator decided to pass the Act of 1 March 2018 on counteracting money laundering and financing of terrorism (AML). In connection with it, many interpretative doubts have arisen. The purpose of this paper is to explain one of them, namely, to indicate whether the provision by a company of a registered office for economic activity to another company from the same capital group means that the company granting its headquarters has achieved the status of an obligated institution pursuant to Article 2 section 1 point 16 letter c) of AML. Design/methodology/approach - This study is based on a grammatical, systemic and functional interpretation. It is enriched with national and supranational regulations, doctrinal considerations and current jurisprudence. Findings - On the basis of the conducted analysis, the author concludes that providing a headquarters to another company from the same capital group may mean meeting the conditions of an obligated institution within the meaning of Article 2 section 1 point 16 letter c) of AML and obtaining by the company providing the registered office the status of an obliged entity. Originality/value - This paper contributes to the clarification of the AML interpretation problem. Adopting a similar approach when analysing other obligated institutions may positively influence the consolidation of the correct interpretation path of AML regulations.