On 26 March 2020, the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (Autoriteit Financiële Markten, the AFM) published a news item stating that due to the impact of the coronavirus it will be suspending large data requests to financial undertakings until 1 June 2020.

The AFM wants to give the financial sector space to fully focus on the challenges of the crisis at hand and customer needs. There are, however, exceptions when it comes to the AFM’s investigation into interest-only mortgages, monitoring compliance with the Act on the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing (Wet ter voorkoming van witwassen en financieren van terrorisme) and the Market Monitor Advisors and Intermediaries (Marktmonitor Adviseurs en Bemiddelaars), although in this context the AFM will also take into account the current circumstances.

The AFM emphasis that despite the extraordinary situation faced by financial parties, these parties will nevertheless need to comply with applicable laws and regulations.