First premiums for Deposit Guarantee for the Caribbean Netherlands collected

Money held in bank accounts in Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba is legally protected by the deposit guarantee for the Caribbean Netherlands. In the event of a bank failure, DNB ensures that account holders receive their money back as quickly as possible, and in any case within 20 working days. The maximum covered amount is USD 25,000 per person, per bank.

Deposit Guarantee Fund for the Caribbean Netherlands

Starting January 1, 2025, a fund will be built up into which banks in the Caribbean Netherlands will annually deposit an amount. This follows from the Decree of October 4, 2024, amending the BES Financial Markets Decree in connection with a revision of the BES deposit guarantee scheme (Besluit financiële markten BES in verband met een herziening van het depositogarantiestelsel BES). The creation of an ex-ante fund contributes to the stability of the financial system. The total amount of premiums collected in June 2025 was USD 1.2 million. This is based on the total covered deposits as of December 31, 2024. The expected fund size at the end of the ten-year build-up phase depends on the total amount of covered deposits. Based on current figures, this would result in a fund size of approximately USD 12.4 million.

Information for banks

The 2025 levy is the first and therefore consists only of a basic contribution. In the future, a supplementary contribution may be imposed to correct for any growth in the deposit base per institution over the years, as a catch-up premium. Premiums are calculated per participating credit institution and paid into the Deposit Guarantee Fund for the Caribbean Netherlands. Within the fund, contributions are separately administrated. This allows for determining whether each credit institution has reached its required target size or if an additional contribution is owed.

Information for account holders

More information about the Caribbean Netherlands Deposit Guarantee can be found here: Deposit guarantee | De Nederlandsche Bank. After the summer, DNB will begin active public outreach about the Caribbean Netherlands Deposit Guarantee in collaboration with the National Office for the Caribbean Netherlands (Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland), aiming to raise awareness of the deposit guarantee in the region.