04 Client Onboarding Policy
04 Client Onboarding Policy
04 Client Onboarding Policy
Version 3.0
Client Onboarding Policy
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Client Onboarding Policy
In this sense, the purpose of this document is to set forth the set of criteria and categories that
should guide the whole Group2 in the context of acceptance or refusal of new Clients and
establishment of any business relationships with new counterparties or any other entities
(hereinafter together and without distinction, “Clients”)3, and definition of categories in respect
to Clients' risk assessments at the time of their onboarding.
The standards of conduct set forth in this document are developed and detailed in the rules
laid down on AML/CFT contained in the Bank's Procedure Manual and, without prejudice to
the obligation to read the said rules, must be complied with by all the Bank's employees.
1 By way of example, see also: (i) article 368-A of the Penal Code; (ii) Law no. 36/1994 of 29 September; (iii) Law
no. 5/2002 of 11 January; and (iv) Law no. 52/2003 of 22 August.
2 For the purposes of this document, Group means, within the meaning of article 2(1)(7) of Law no. 83/2017: “a set
of entities formed by: (i) a legal entity or any other undertaking that ultimately controls another legal entity(ies) or
undertaking(s) forming part of the group (parent undertaking), its subsidiary undertakings or other undertakings in
which the parent undertaking or its subsidiary undertakings hold a participation, in particular when one nor more
control indicators occur; or (ii) other undertakings linked to each other by a control relationship, in particular when
one or more control indicators occur”.
3 For the purposes of this document, Client means, within the meaning of article 2(1)(d) of Notice no. 2/2018: "any
individual or legal entity of a corporate nature or otherwise or legal arrangement who/which contacts a financial
institution so that the latter provides a service or product to him/her/it by establishing a business relationship or an
occasional transaction".
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Client Onboarding Policy
A. Categories
I. Unacceptable
B. Classification Rules
I. Unacceptable
Individuals or entities who/which fall under or present signs of falling under any of the following
types cannot be accepted as Clients and the existence of any relationship, be it merely
prospective or exploratory, with any individual or entity of this nature must be reported
immediately to the Compliance Department:
Individuals or entities who/which have any activity whose nature makes it impossible
to confirm the legal origin of their respective income.
Individuals or entities who/which are not physically present at the time of establishing
the business relationships, save when they are duly represented and without prejudice
to relationships established at a distance in accordance with Schedule I to Notice no.
2/2018.
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Client Onboarding Policy
Individuals who lack mental capacity, not duly represented by a person with powers
and authority to such end.
Entities which have definitively ceased their business (applies only to new Clients).
Shell banks6.
The following prospective Clients are deemed High-Risk Clients and must, therefore, be
subject to enhanced due diligence procedures:
Clients classified as such under the Client scoring mechanism in effect in the Bank, for
the purposes of assessment of the money laundering and terrorist financing risk.
Residents in countries subject to any embargo decreed by the European Union and
the USA (applicable not only to prospective Clients, but also to their respective
representatives or co-owners) stated in the following official lists issued by the
European Union, the United Nations Security Council, the OFAC or as notified by the
Bank of Portugal.
6 Within the meaning of article 2(1)(g) of Law no. 83/2018, shell bank means:
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Client Onboarding Policy
Residents in territories classified as offshore for the purposes of Notice no. 7/2009 of
the Bank of Portugal or any provisions substituted therefor.
Politically exposed persons (hereinafter "PEPs") and other senior political or public
officers7.
Individuals or entities who/which perform activities involving a high risk of being used
for the purposes of money laundering or terrorist financing, their officers, shareholders
or owners, such as, for instance: casinos or duly authorised bookmakers, foreign
exchange firms, pawnbrokers and money transfer firms.
The aforementioned circumstances should be analysed by the Bank's bodies responsible for
approving new Clients and/or transactions before commencing any business relationship with
any entity presenting signs of possibly falling under one of the aforementioned types.
Any entities belonging to the Haitong Bank S.A.'s Group or its holding companies.
Employees and officers of entities belonging to the Haitong Bank, S.A. Group.
The following types of Clients are deemed Low-Risk Clients, provided they are located in
Portugal, in European Union Member States or third countries with effective AML/CFT
systems.
7 PEPs within the meaning of article 2(2)(cc) of Law no. 83/2017 and other senior political or public officers within
the meaning of article 2(2)(gg) of Law no. 83/2017.
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Client Onboarding Policy
Financial entities8 (including their branches, provided they comply with the procedures
determined by the holding company), except payment institutions and insurance
brokers.
Simplified due diligence procedures10 may be applied to these entities in terms of identification
and due diligence procedures (hereinafter “Know Your Customer” or “KYC”) and monitoring of
transactions.
(i) The Client classification in line with the rules applying to the aforementioned categories
should be calculated upon recording the counterparty in the central database, on the
basis of the data contained in the documentation and instructions received from the
employees of the relevant Front Office area.
(ii) Whenever a Client is classified as “High Risk”, his/her/its file must be forwarded to the
Compliance Department, which will analyse the case and take any additional actions
deemed appropriate in line with the increased risk presented by the Client, duly
documenting its analysis in writing in accordance with the applicable internal template.
(iv) Any contact, even if merely of an exploratory or prospective nature, with prospective
Clients classified as “Unacceptable” must be reported immediately to the Compliance
Department.
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Client Onboarding Policy
In accordance with the regulations in force, each financial entity is bound to thoroughly
identify its Clients, know their business activities, know their respective ownership and
control structures, as well as to verify whether the relationship with these entities is
consistent with the nature and volume of the business carried out.
To this end, the KYC procedures laid down in the Procedure Manual must be strictly and
fully adhered to.
Employees of the Front Office areas are responsible for adhering to the KYC procedures
determined for each category of Client and must ensure that the data collected from
Clients is sufficient, as well as that it truly reflects Clients' circumstances, notably in respect
of their identity, business and financial capacity.
The employees of the Front Office area responsible for the Client are responsible for
ensuring that all the respective information and documentation are kept duly updated,
meeting the applicable deadlines in line with the money laundering and terrorist financing
risk profile assigned to the Client:
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Client Onboarding Policy
The Bank's Client Onboarding Policy must be reviewed at least annually and whenever
any change to the environment in which the Bank carries out its business so requires or
advises, for instance in the event of: changes to the legal and/or regulatory provisions in
effect, issue of new recommendations by official entities or new circumstances which
may potentially generate increased risks or similar events.
The Compliance Department is responsible for drawing up and annually reviewing the
Client Onboarding Policy and the Bank's Board of Directors is responsible for its
approval.
Version Control
Note: The links included in these document are those in effect when this document was updated. Their use at any
particular time presupposes confirmation that they remain current.
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