Gold
De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) holds more than 612 tonnes of gold. At the end of 2025, these gold holdings were worth €72.2 billion. They form part of the Netherlands’ official foreign reserves. Read on to find out why DNB holds gold and where it is stored.
Why does DNB hold gold reserves?
Gold is generally considered to retain its value, whatever happens in the world. This has been the case for thousands of years. Because gold acts as a store of value, many central banks, including DNB, hold gold reserves.
The Dutch gold reserves can be seen as a safety net for emergencies. These include major disruptions such as a financial crisis, serious political instability or even war. In such situations, cash or financial assets such as shares may lose their value.
Where is the Dutch gold located?
The Netherlands’ gold reserves are stored at several locations around the world. Almost a third, 31%, is held at DNB’s Cash Centre in Zeist, the Netherlands. A similar share, 32%, is kept in the vaults of the Bank of England in London. The rest is stored North America: 18.5% at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and another 18.5% at the Royal Canadian Mint in Ottawa.
Until 2026, the proportions were different, although the storage locations were the same. For more information, see the press release, which explains the changes in detail. DNB deliberately stores its gold in several locations, as keeping it all in one place would carry risks. Storing it in several countries helps DNB spread those risks.
How does DNB store its gold reserves?
Some of the gold is stored at the Cash Centre in Zeist. Its special vaults contain 14,000 gold bars, each weighing 12.5 kilogrammes, as well as 1,000 chests filled with gold coins. Together, this gold weighs 200,000 kilogrammes. At the end of 2025, it was worth €22.4 billion.
DNB opened the Cash Centre in 2023. It is located on the highly secure defence site at Huis ter Heide, near Zeist. DNB’s gold was previously stored deep underground at its headquarters in Amsterdam. In 2019, DNB’s Executive Board decided to renovate the headquarters and move the gold and cash to Zeist.