1. Credit institutions and financial institutions, and groups of credit institutions and financial institutions, whose residual risk profile has been classified as high pursuant to Article 12 shall qualify as selected obliged entities.

2. However, where more than 40 entities are identified pursuant to paragraph 1, the Authority may, in consultation with the supervisory authorities, agree on limiting the selection to a specific different number of entities or groups that is greater than 40.

In deciding on a specific different number of selected obliged entities as referred to in the first subparagraph, the Authority shall take into account its own resources in terms of its capacity to allocate or additionally hire the necessary number of supervisory and support staff and shall ensure that the required increase in the financial and human resources is feasible.

Pursuant to the decision on the maximum number, the selected obliged entities shall be those obliged entities qualifying under paragraph 1 which are operating in the highest number of Member States whether through establishments or under the freedom to provide services.

Where the application of the criterion referred to in the third subparagraph yields more than the set maximum number of selected obliged entities, the Authority shall select, from the obliged entities that would be selected in accordance with that subparagraph and that operate in the smallest number of Member States, those which have the highest ratio of the volume of transactions with third countries to the total volume of transactions measured over the last financial year.