De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) wants to safeguard a stable financial system. This requires sound financial institutions that operate with integrity. This is necessary to ensure a sustainable economy in the Netherlands. We warn against risks that could affect the system as a whole, and issue advice. We also improve the financial system's resilience by demanding that financial institutions reinforce their buffers.
The financial system is at the heart of the economy. It allows you to save, borrow and invest. It also ensures that you can pay safely and quickly, and that you can cover financial risks that you do not want to or are unable to bear. These things are often taken for granted, but they are essential to the functioning of the economy. That is why it is important that the financial system is robust and that it continues to function under less favourable economic circumstances.
De Nederlandsche Bank monitors the stability of the financial system. Every six months, we publish our Financial Stability Report (FSR). In this report we identify risks to the financial system.
We look at various areas to assess the stability of the financial system. To do this, we use a large number of indicators, such as an increasing amount of loans (credit growth), rapidly rising real estate prices and the amount of cash that banks are holding (liquidity). For example, strong credit growth associated with strongly rising real estate prices is often an indication of (future) instability.
We chair the Financial Stability Committee, which meets at least twice a year. At international level we participate in the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the European Central Bank (ECB), the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB) and the Financial Stability Board (FSB). Our President Klaas Knot is the Vice-Chair of the FSB. Our participation in consultations in The Hague and Brussels is also important.
After almost two decades of contraction, outstanding Dutch securitisations sold to investors increased substantially in 2024, new figures from DNB show. Net growth was €3.1 billion (12%) to €29.2 billion, still considerably less than 20 years ago.
Read more Significant growth in securitisations in 2024 after years of contraction
Today, De Nederlandsche Bank publishes ‘Resilience in turbulent times’, a study on the potential impact of geopolitical risks on financial institutions. DNB economist Maurice Doll co-wrote the study and talks about its main findings.
Read more ‘European cooperation essential to confront geopolitical risks’
Dutch pension funds invest structurally less in European companies than in US companies, DNB figures reveal. At the end of 2024, invested assets in European (EU) non-financial corporations amounted to €97 billion, compared to €293 billion in US counterparts.
Read more Dutch pension funds invest more in US companies than in European companies
The volume of financing provided through fintech platforms operated by non-bank parties has almost doubled in two years, according to new global research by DNB and the Financial Stability Board (FSB). In the Netherlands, this type of lending amounted to €2.3 billion by the end of 2023.
Read more Financing through fintechs nearly doubled