Our Mission & Functions

• We issue, among others, technical communiqués, communications and/or recommendations in order to develop regulations and technical instrumental norms regarding the exercise of banking activities, the activities of operating entities in the financial system and any other activity, when required by law. Thus, the AFA may issue:
  
  • Technical Communiqué: any mandatory norm/regulation that may affect supervised entities.
  • Communications and/or recommendations: specific information requests or any other communication that the Authority considers relevant to any of the supervised entities, or their sub-groups.

The Technical Communiqués are published in the Regulations section of the AFA´s website, while the Communications are exclusively published in the Virtual Office - Private area section of the AFA´s website, which is accessible for affected entities, depending on the type of Communication issued.

Additionally, the AFA may demand requests for specific information from supervised entities individually, by means of a letter addressed directly to said entities.

In carrying out this function, the AFA may submit the relevant regulatory proposals to the financial sector agents and will always consider the following factors:

• That the costs executing the regulation be proportionate to the benefits of its implementation;
• The international standards in the matter;
• The impact of its implementation on the competition, the capacity for innovation and the international competitiveness of the Andorran financial market.

• We act as a competent supervisory authority over all supervised entities and over natural or legal persons outside the financial system that are, or may be, subject to the supervision of the AFA, in accordance with current legislation for the purpose of ensuring compliance with the regulations applicable to said persons.
• We supervise, on a consolidated basis, operating entities in the financial system and as a consequence, the groups of financial entities operating in said system, understood as all those groups of companies in which the parent company is an operating entity in the financial system, or whose main activity is the holding of shares in one or more operating entity of the financial system, as well as those groups which include one or more operating entities in the financial system whose activity is the groups most important holding.
• We exercise disciplinary and sanctioning powers over supervised entities and over all natural or legal persons outside the financial system that the current legislation states are competence of the AFA.
• We exercise control and supervisory powers in the insurance and reinsurance systems, where the criteria are those that are mandated in articles 8 to 12 of Law 12/2017, June 22^nd on the governing and monitoring of insurance and reinsurance in the Principality of Andorra. [Llei 12/2017, del 22 de juny, d’ordenació i supervisió d’assegurances i reassegurances del Principat d’Andorra]
• To act as a competent supervisory authority of crowdfunding service providers.
• To act as competent supervisory authority of participants related to digital assets.

• We examine and complete any application submitted to the AFA in order to obtain a license or authorisation to operate in the Andorran financial system, in accordance with current legislation and we keep the corresponding AFA registers updated.
• We examine and complete applications for authorisation and/or registration of administrative acts in accordance with current legislation and we keep the corresponding AFA registers updated.

• To provide State treasury services, including the administration and safe-keeping of international reserves, as well as being able to carry out the financial management of public debt issues by the Principality of Andorra prior resolution of the Government.

• When necessary, draw on the international reserves or their associated financial mechanisms to develop assistance lines in the form of urgent liquidity assistance to banks operating and established in the Principality of Andorra, within the limits and requirements provided for in the applicable legal framework.
• To accept assets from banks as collateral in favour of the AFA as part of the development of lines of assistance in the form of urgent liquidity assistance.
• To receive cash and to manage its distribution to banks.

• We deal with and manage consumer complaints presented to the AFA by supervised entities.

When the analysis of a complaint demonstrates a prudential supervision problem, which may go beyond the individual consumers complaint, the AFA may carry out specific controls within the supervision framework.

The actions carried out by the AFA within the framework of prudential supervision cannot be shared with the consumer.

The reports issued by the AFA regarding complaints made by consumers of supervised entities are not decisive in relation to the contractual responsibilities between the client and the entity, this matter is reserved for the courts.

• We perform the tasks associated with the international representation of Andorra regarding specific issues that affect the financial sector.
• As a member of the Executive Committee of the FAGADI and of the Executive Committee of the SAGI, a representative of the AFA will holds the presidency and the AFA assure the functions that have been attributed to this Authority by the provisions of the Law 20/2018 of 13 september governing the Andorran Deposit Guarantee Fund and the Andorran Investor Compensation Scheme.
• Provide State treasury services and carry out the financial management of public debt issued by the Principality of Andorra, after having obtained approval from the Government.
• Collect the deposits and guarantees established in current legislation and court decisions, and manage these funds in accordance with the principle of prudence in an appropriate manner. In the carrying out of this function, the AFA carries out other functions:

• Tax collection on behalf of the Justice Administration

The collection of court fees, fines and other concepts on behalf of the Justice Administration carried out by the AFA, is transferred in full to the Government once a year and includes the following concepts:

The collection of court fees: as established in the Judicial Tax Law of December 20^th 1995 [Llei de taxes judicials del 20 de desembre del 1995], the AFA receives from the Government the stamps intended for the payment of fees for the actions and procedures under the civil jurisdiction in general, contentious and voluntary, and the administrative jurisdiction after which they are delivered to the Bar Association of Andorra. The latter assembles the quarterly economic value and settles the court fees accrued during the period with the AFA;

The collection of fines, photocopies and fees recovered from the Justice Administration’s provision of external services.

• Justice Administration Funds Management

The AFA is responsible on the one hand, for receiving revenues and making payments on behalf of the Justice Administration based on the orders received, and on the other hand, for investing said funds deposited by the Justice Administration in the AFA, based on availability in order to maximise the return and always respecting the principle of prudence. The performance of these investments is conditioned by the need to generally maintain high availability, which is determined by the necessities of every day payments that the AFA receives from the Justice Administration and that require maintenance, for the most part, in short-term investments.

• SAIG Funds Management

The AFA is responsible of the reception of revenues and the management of payments on behalf of the SAIG, as established in Law 43/2014, of 18 December, of the SAIG. Specifically, the amounts received by the SAIG relating to the execution of judicial decisions or administrative acts must be deposited with the AFA after deduction of the amounts corresponding to the expenses and fees relating to the execution in accordance with the scale approved by the Government. The AFA completes payments to the performing person of the sums received under the execution procedure, except for amounts corresponding to instalments when the performing person has previously requested in writing the payments to be made within a longer period.

• Management of residency deposits

The AFA is in charge of managing the deposits that must be met in order to obtain residence permits, both for residents with independent means, as well as for professionals with an international projection or for residence permits for reasons of scientific interest, culture and sport, under current legislation in the matter.

Specifically, the amount to be deposited with the AFA for new non-lucrative residence permits (hereafter, passive residences) is regulated by the Law 9/2012 of 31st May, amending the qualified law on immigration [Llei 9/2012 del 31 de maig, de modificació de la Llei qualificada d’immigració], Articles 96, 99 and 101. €50,000 must be placed in non-interest bearing deposits for the main permit holder and a further €10,000 for each dependent. In cases of termination, cancellation or lack of renewal of said permits, the deposits are returned, with the reservation of deductions that may occur due to non-compliance with Administration obligations.

The procedure for settling the amounts deposited is set out in article 12 of the Regulation of immigration permits of residence without work [Reglament de les autoritzacions d’immigració de residència sense treball], approved by the Government of Andorra on July 18th 2012.

• Management of Guaranteed Diposit Reserves

The AFA is in charge of the management of Guaranteed Deposit reserves for non-bank financial entities, applying what was established at the Law regulating Guaranteed Deposit reserves and other operational obligations that operating entities must maintain and deposit in the financial system, 11^th May 1995.

The fourth transitory provision of Law 35/2018, of December 20, of solvency, liquidity and prudential supervision of banking entities and investment companies, establishes that the financial system operating entities that still hold a deposit in the AFA in compliance with what was established at the Law regulating Guaranteed Deposit reserves and other operational obligations that operating entities must maintain and deposit in the financial system, 11^th May 1995, have to present to the AFA the corresponding  request asking for the return of its deposit.

• Management of deposits preceding the creation of financial entities

The AFA is in charge of the management of deposits constituted by natural or legal persons, preceding the creation of an operating entity in the Andorran financial system. In compliance with the provisions of article 8 "Pre-deposit" of the Law 35/2010 of the 3^rd June, on the authorisation scheme for the creation of new bodies operating in the Andorran financial system [Llei 35/2010, del 3 de juny, de règim d’autorització per a la creació de noves entitats operatives del sistema financer andorrà] modified by Law 10/2013 [Llei 10/2013], any one that wishes to create an operating entity in the Andorran financial system must create, before presenting the authorisation request for the creation of the entity in question, a non-remunerated deposit at the AFA for the amount established in said article, based on the type of entity that they wish to establish.

• Management of deposits of freelance professions

By virtue of Law 10/2018 [Llei 10/2018] of May 17^th, described as modification of Law 9/2012 of May 31^st [Llei 9/2012, del 31 de maig] on the modification of Immigration Law [Llei qualificada d’immigració] and according to Article 23.12, any foreigner wishing to reside in the Principality of Andorra and carry out a self-employed activity can obtain a residence and self-employment immigration permit.

In order to make this request effective, at the same time that the application for the immigration permit is presented, said person must deposit fifteen thousand euros (15,000 euros) with the AFA in an unremunerated deposit. In cases of termination, cancellation or lack of renewal of said permits, the deposits are returned with the reservation of deductions that may occur due to non-compliance with the Principality of Andorra´s obligations.

In the event that the Andorran society constituted by virtue of which the immigration permit requested has been granted, with the purpose of carrying out a selected business project by one of the entities previously recognized by the Government to this effect, it is not necessary for the holder of the aforementioned permit to materialise the deposits the amount referred to in the preceding paragraph.

The management of these deposits is the responsibility of the AFA.

• We issue, at the Government´s request, reports and legislation regarding the financial system and on other matters of the AFA´s competency, as well as proposing measures that can improve the order and regulation of the financial system;
• We advise the Government on issues related to economic and financial policy at the request of persons at the Ministry of Finance, such as:
  • A member of the Andorran Delegation to the Joint Committee of the Monetary Agreement
  • A member of Negotiation Delegations in different areas, with the European Union

• and also in relation to:
  • Rating Agencies (both sovereign and entities);
  • Cooperation with the Government of Andorra´s Statistics Department;
  • Timely advice in the preparation of preliminary non-binding draft legislation linked to the financial system;
• Receiving and resolving national and foreign consultations in relation to the legal framework applicable to the Andorran financial system;
• Developing studies and statistics regarding the financial system and in all those matters of the AFA´s competence, in accordance with current legislation;
• Creation and publication of the AFA´s Annual Activity Report;
• Collaboration with the Taxation and Borders Department of the Ministry of Finance, in relation to the application and verification of the accounting and settlement of taxes that affect operating entities in the Andorran financial systems (EOSF);
• Collaboration with the Companies Registry, by providing guidance on the applications for the constitution or modification of companies that have doubts about whether or not they belong to and/or adjust to the financial system;
• Issuing of a report regarding the direct investments, referred to in section 4 of article 10 of Law 10/2012 of June 21^st, Foreign Investment in the Principality of Andorra [Llei 10/2012, del 21 de juny, d’Inversió estrangera al Principat d’Andorra] for those who wish to create foreign credit or financial institutions, so that the Ministry responsible for foreign investment will be able take it into consideration before deciding;
• Issuing of a report prior to the granting of licenses, in accordance with Law 37/2014 of December 11, Regulation of gambling [Llei 37/2014, de l’11 de desembre, de Regulació dels jocs d'atzar] which establishes that, for the granting of licenses, the gambling regulatory entity must require binding reports from the Financial Intelligence Unit of Andorra (UIFAND), the AFA, the Andorran Agency of Data Protection and/or Andorra Telecom, SAU, as applicable;
• According to Law 6/2015 of January 15^th, on the Pension Fund for Retirement [Llei 6/2015, del 15 de gener, del Fons de reserva de jubilació], the board is made up of five members, among which one is a member of the General Directorate of the AFA, appointed by its Board of Directors;
• To act as a competent supervisory authority over natural or legal persons outside the financial system within the framework of the carrying out of functions attributed to it in accordance with current legislation, among others:
  • in the field of market abuse (Law 8/2013) [Llei 8/2013];
  • regarding euro coins and banknotes not suitable for circulation.

To this end, the National Analysis Centre (CNA) and the National  Currency Analysis Centre (CNAM) are the competent authorities that implement the technical standards necessary for the effectiveness of compliance with Law 17/2013 of  October 10^th, on the introduction of the euro in Monetary Agreement framework signed between the Principality of Andorra and the European Union [Llei 17/2013, del 10 d’octubre, sobre la introducció de l’euro en el marc de l’Acord Monetari signat entre el Principat d’Andorra i la Unió Europea].

• According to Law 28/2017 on the 2018-2021 Statistics plan [Llei 28/2017, del Pla d’estadística 2018-2021], it is established that the Andorran Statistics Council be made up of fifteen members, one of which must belong to the AFA.
• The AFA, in coordination with the National Cyber Security Agency of the Principality of Andorra, is the competent national authority in charge of cyber security and supervisory tasks for networks and information systems covering the sectors of the financial entities and financial market, as well as for the services provided by the entities that are under the supervision of the AFA, with regard to the entities considered essential.

• Pursuant to the Decree 111/2022, the AFA has been designated, within its conferred powers and areas of activity, as the controlling body of the restrictive measures applicable to natural persons, legal entities or other legal subjects, as well as of other general measures, in view of Russia and Belarus’ actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine.