Chapter 2, on “Authorisation Requirements”, analyses the designation, powers, and independence of national competent authorities (NCAs); the general requirements for access to the activity of credit institutions; the withdrawal of authorisation; the approval of Financial Holding Companies (FHCs) and Mixed Financial Holding Companies (MFHCs); qualifying holdings in a credit institution; the freedoms to establish and to provide services; and the relations with third countries. As necessary, in each Section, a distinction is made between the provisions of the Capital Requirements Directive No IV (CRD IV), which apply to all EU Member States, and those of the SSMR on specific tasks of the ECB within the SSM for all credit institutions in the Member States participating in the Banking Union (BU) (common procedures). The amendments introduced to the CRD IV by the CRD VI in 2024, which will apply from January 2026, are also duly taken into account and separately presented.