THE NETHERLANDS:
THE
HUMBLE
GIANT
Edition 2012
THE NETHERLANDS:
THE
HUMBLE
GIANT
Contents
The Netherlands: The Humble Giant
5
Reasons to invest in the Netherlands
10
International business environment
11
Superior logistics and technology infrastructure
12
Highly educated, multilingual and flexible workforce
Quality of life
13
Fiscal climate
14
12
Holland Financial Centre
Retirement Management
Financial Logistics
19
Finance & Sustainability
Trading Venue
24
HFC International
25
Contact information
26
15
16
21
The Netherlands:
The Humble Giant
Built on the delta of some of Europe’s main rivers, the
exporter of goods and services in the world, has the
Netherlands is a small country that punches above its weight
world’s 7th largest banking sector and has more broadband
in world economics and politics. It has a growing and healthy
connections than anywhere in the world. Well known
economy with excellent industries like life sciences, creative
Dutch global companies in the food & beverage industry
industries, energy, logistics, electronics, food, flowers, the
include Unilever, Ahold and Heineken, in the financial
chemical industry, water technology, high tech and... a strong
services ING, Aegon, Rabobank and APG. In the chemical
(supporting) financial services sector.
and petrol industry the Dutch have international companies
like Akzo, DSM and Shell, and in the electrical machinery
The Netherlands has been playing a special role in the world
there is Philips, ASML and TomTom.
economy for many centuries. Already in the 16 century
th
the Dutch economy developed an international network for
Per capita the gross domestic product in 2010 was 40,800.
trade. Shipping, fishing, infrastructural development and
Higher than that of Germany, France, Spain or the UK. The
banking have ever since been leading sectors.
Netherlands has the 16th largest economy in the world, and
With 16.7 million people on a relatively small piece of land,
the Dutch generate amazingly disproportionate economic
activity. The Netherlands is, for example, the eighth largest
5 — Holland Financial Centre
ranks 8th in GDP (nominal) per capita worldwide.
16
1
1
1
1
1
2
3
3
in retirement savings and income system globally
5
6
7
7
7
7
8
8
9
10
th
best ICT infrastructure worldwide
th
highest amount of innovative companies worldwide
st
(Mercer / Global Pension Index 2011)
st
in broadband connections globally
(OECD 2011)
st
in commodity trading globally
st
in global connectedness
(FD 2011)
(DHL / Global Connectedness Index 2011)
st
most enterprising nation in Europe
(EIM 2011)
nd most wealthy country in Europe
(CBS 2011)
rd
best country to live worldwide
rd
largest non-banking sector worldwide
(leasing, brokers, securitizations, money markets)
(UNDP 2011)
(Financial Stability Board 2011)
th
6 — Holland Financial Centre
th
(The Economist 2010)
(Thomson Reuters / Top 100 global innovators 2011)
largest banking sector globally
(Bank for International Settlements (BIS) 2011)
most developed financial sector globally
(World Economic Forum / Financial Development Index 2011)
th
most stable financial centre globally
th
most competitive country worldwide
th
th
th
th
(IMF 2010)
(World Economic Forum / Global Competitiveness Index 2011-2012)
in GDP (nominal) per capita globally
(IMF 2010)
in world best universities
(Webometrics Ranking 2010)
worldwide amount of company global headquarters
(Fortune 500 2011)
most open economy for international trade worldwide
(WEF Global Enabling Trade Report 2010)
th
largest
economy
worldwide
(IMF 2011)
Global Rankings of the Netherlands
2011 Fortune Global 500
Dutch Multinationals in the list of the world’s largest corporations
Revenues in millions
Top
10
2
$ 378,152
Royal Dutch Shell
(Oil & Gas Operations)
The Hague
The Netherlands offers local and foreign businesses an
environment that is favorable to international trade, efficient
export, innovation and cooperation with some of the world’s
20
best companies and research institutes.
17
$ 147,052
ING Group
(Banking & Insurance)
Amsterdam
According to the Dutch newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad
in 2011, 80 of the world’s 100 biggest multinationals have
an office; predominately special holdings and finance
200
companies in the Netherlands.
112
$ 65,136
AEGON
126
$ 60,597
EADS
207
$ 41,151
LyondellBasell
Industries
219
$ 39,111
Royal Ahold
(Insurance)
The Hague
(Aerospace & Defence)
Leiden
The Netherlands has an enviable reputation as a location
300
have decided to set up their business in the Netherlands.
The Netherlands is currently home to twelve ‘Fortune 500’
(Chemicals)
Rotterdam
company global headquarters (9th position worldwide).
400
(Food Markets)
Amsterdam
277
$ 33,667
Royal Philips
Electronics
(Personal and
household goods)
Amsterdam
397
$ 24,313
GasTerra
(Gas Operation)
Groningen
500
448
$ 21,684
Heineken
Holding
(Drinks)
Amsterdam
460
$ 21,202
SHV Holdings
(a.o. distribution
& food markets)
Utrecht
479
$ 20,419
Akzo Nobel
(Chemicals)
Amsterdam
286
$ 32,672
Rabobank Group
(Banking)
Utrecht
7 — Holland Financial Centre
to do business from: more than 6,000 foreign companies
The position of the Netherlands as a location for European
The financial sector employs a large number of people. In the
headquarters of non-European companies is even higher
Netherlands, approximately 270,000 people are employed in
(4th in 2008). The Netherlands also attracts more than a fair
the financial industry as a whole, in comparison with 310,000
share of pan-European distribution centers, a manifestation
in London, 300,000 in New York and 185,000 in Switzerland.
of its central position in intercontinental trade.
The Dutch financial sector knows many strong and
Chinese multinationals like Huawei, Midea and Liugong have
thoroughly developed subsectors including:
their European distribution center or financial headquarters
– Retirement Management (pension and insurance services,
located in the Netherlands. Indian companies like Tata Steel
(Corus), Reliance, Suzlon, Mittal Steel and Tata Consultancy
Services with 1,000 employees, American companies as
Bombardier, Cisco and Mead Johnson, and international
financials like Royal Bank of Scotland, Deutsche Bank,
8 — Holland Financial Centre
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Goldman Sachs,
Blackrock and Northern Trust are located in Amsterdam.
The Netherlands has an open economy and an international
outlook, both of which are vital aspects of a highly
developed, dynamic and internationally oriented financial
industry. It is for these reasons that various international
banks are established in the Netherlands for joint ventures
in the Dutch capital market.
including asset management)
– Sustainable Finance (carbon trading, sustainable
investment and financing)
– Financial Logistics (international payment systems,
cash management and transaction services)
– Trading Venue (market making, derivatives trading,
trade & export financing)
The Netherlands gives acces to
125
270
banks
life and non-life
insurance companies
450
Assets under Management
Dutch Banks:
€ 2.5 trillion
Dutch Pension fund industry:
€ 800 billion
Dutch Insurance companies:
€ 350 billion
Dutch Investment funds:
€ 500 billion
Dutch Private equity industry:
€ 24.3 billion
Source: DNB and PwC
9 — Holland Financial Centre
pension
funds
2
nd
Level of prosperity in the EU
Eurostat 2011
Reasons to invest in the Netherlands
The Netherlands provides a strategic location from which
to serve markets within the current and future European
Union, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. The centrallylocated geographical position of the Netherlands, combined
with accessibility and an excellent infrastructure, the quality
1
Luxembourg
2
The Netherlands
3
Ireland
4
Denmark
5
Austria
6
Sweden
7
Belgium
8
Germany
9
Finland
10
United Kingdom
of the workforce, the linguistic skills and the attractive tax
environment are some of the key reasons why numerous
European, American and Asian companies have established
Financial Stability
facilities in the Netherlands. Over the past few years a great
IMF 2010
number of foreign financial companies, including ICBC, Brit
Insurance, Saxo Bank, Bank of Beijing and Chaabi Bank and
smaller companies like Cavanagh Capital, Dynamic Credit
10 — Holland Financial Centre
and Boston Alexander have chosen to set up an office here.
The Netherlands is one of the most attractive European
country for foreign investments. Holland Financial Centre
closely collaborates with the Netherlands Foreign Investment
Agency (NFIA) and her offices around the world to attract
new financial companies to the Netherlands.
1
United Kingdom
2
Germany
3
United States
4
France
5
Japan
6
Italy
7
The Netherlands
8
Spain
9
Canada
10
Switzerland
7
th
International business environment
The Netherlands, long Europe’s trading crossroads, is an
obvious choice to locate a pan-European operation. Many
international companies have their global headquarters in the
Netherlands, for example Shell, Unilever, Philips, IKEA, Brit
Sweden 8.49
Insurance, EADS and ING. And Nike, Tata, Sabic, Sara Lee,
Denmark 8.41
5
Netherlands.
USA 8.41
The Dutch pro-business environment creates a gateway
Digital Economy Rankings
to Europe that helps international companies succeed
IBM / The Economist 2010
Finland 8.36
The Netherlands 8.36
throughout the world. An international outlook and
Norway 8.24
openness to foreign investment is firmly engrained in the
Dutch culture, and this has yielded a wealth of world-class
Hong Kong 8.22
business partners who know how to deal with global
Singapore 8.22
business challenges in today’s financial services industry.
The Netherlands is known as one of the most financial stable
Australia 8.21
countries in the world.
New Zealand 8.07
8.0
8.1
8.2
The digital economy rankings assess the quality of a country’s ICT
infrastructure and the ability of its consumers, businesses and
governments to use ICT to their benefit.
8.3
8.4
8.5
th
11 — Holland Financial Centre
Starbucks and Cisco have European headquarters in the
The Netherlands is classified
as one of the most ‘wired’
countries in the world.
Superior logistics and technology infrastructure
Highly educated, multilingual and flexible workforce
Examples of the excellent connectivity are the seaport of
The Netherlands features one of the most highly educated,
Rotterdam (the world’s 3rd largest, and Europe’s largest,
multilingual, enterprising and motivated workforces in
seaport, especially for Chinese products), Schiphol Airport
Europe: 40% of the workforce possess either a college or
(with 313 destinations worldwide, and since decades
university degree, 80% speak English, the high number of
rated as the best business airport in the world at only a
entrepreneurs (ranked third in terms of number of entrepre-
seven minute ride from the Dutch financial district) and the
neurs) and high motivation (the IMD World Competitiveness
outstanding IT infrastructure. The Netherlands is classified
survey ranks the Dutch workforce second in the world in
as one of the most ‘wired’ countries in the world. Long
terms of motivation). These characteristics enable Dutch
term investment in high-speed internet, cable and digital
employees to successfully operate in companies in any
communication systems, as well as the rapid adoption
industry throughout the world.
of state-of-the-art computer and cell phone technology,
have created an ideal base for companies seeking to take
12 — Holland Financial Centre
advantage of modern technology.
The Dutch infrastructure is a solid and ideal base for
businesses with high demands on connectivity (Amsterdam
is directly connected to all major centers’ in Europe within a
maximum of just two hours by plane and/or train) and on an
excellent IT infrastructure.
Quality of life
The Netherlands is proud to have a high standard of
living. The costs of living, housing, education and cultural
3
activities are lower than in most Western-European
rd
countries. The population of the Netherlands is very diverse:
Norway 0.943
Amsterdam is home to the highest number of different
Australia 0.929
nationalities worldwide. To serve these nationalities the
Netherlands has 33 primary and 23 secondary international
The Netherlands 0.910
schools. The Netherlands has various facilities for expat
The high quality of life is also reflected in the number of
Human Development
Index
USA 0.910
New Zealand 0.908
UNDP 2011
Canada 0.908
museums; the Netherlands has the world’s highest density
of museums and is home to world renewed museums as the
Ireland 0.908
Van Gogh museum and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and
Liechtenstein 0.905
the Mauritshuis in The Hague.
Germany 0.905
Sweden 0.904
0.85
0.87
0.89
The Human Development Index (HDI) is a comparative measure
of life expectancy, literacy, education and standards of living in
countries worldwide.
0.91
0.93
0.95
13 — Holland Financial Centre
communities.
Fiscal climate
Attractive features of the Dutch tax regime include:
The Dutch tax environment for international companies is
– Relatively low statutory corporate income tax rate of 25% (20% for first € 200,000)
very attractive. The corporate tax rate has been lowered
– Possibility of obtaining advance tax rulings from the Dutch tax authorities giving
to 25%; well below the EU average. Additionally, dividend
certainty on future tax position
withholding tax has been reduced from 25% to 15%.
– Innovation box resulting in an effective corporate tax rate of 5%
Furthermore, a patent box with a 5% tax rate on income from
– Tax incentive for R&D activities (WBSO)
innovations was introduced. Combined with other traditional
– Favourable participation exemption regime
features of the Dutch tax system (extremely wide tax treaty
– Fiscal unity regime to freely set off profits and losses among group members
network to avoid double taxation, participation exemption,
– Transfer pricing practice in accordance with OECD Transfer Pricing Guidelines
30% tax break for highly qualified foreign employees) the
– The possibility to carry forward losses for nine years and to carry them backward
fiscal climate is ranked third in the world (by KPMG) and
quite simply one more reason for companies to establish
or expand their European operations in the Netherlands.
for one year
– Wide tax treaty network reducing withholding taxes on dividends, interests and
royalties (for interest and royalties often to 0%)
14 — Holland Financial Centre
– No statutory withholding tax on outgoing interest and royalty payments
– Favorable tax treatment for foreign employees (30% tax ruling)
– VAT deferment upon importation: no upfront payment of VAT
– Dutch Customs Authorities: practical and pro-active approach
– Dutch Tax Authorities: relationship enhancement by horizontal monitoring
Source: NFIA – Why invest in Holland 2011
Holland Financial Centre
The Holland Financial Centre foundation is a public/private
The Dutch financial industry has a particularly strong
partnership. Participants in the foundation, which was set
reputation in the areas of pension expertise and management
up in 2007, include banks, brokers, pension funds and asset
(Retirement Management), cheap and efficient payment
managers, as well as consultants, accountancy and legal
systems (Financial Logistics) and as a centre for securities
firms, the Dutch central government, the two supervisory
trading (Trading Venue). The Netherlands has also developed
authorities for the financial industry: DNB and AFM, and
extensive knowledge and expertise in the field of sustain-
the cities of Amsterdam and The Hague. Members of HFC
ability and financial services (Finance & Sustainability).
want to develop initiatives aimed at preserving a strong,
open, internationally competitive financial industry in the
Netherlands. The main objective is to retain existing and
create new jobs in the industry. HFC has some 70 participants. HFC’s board consists of managers representing
15 — Holland Financial Centre
market parties, the government and the regulators.
Retirement Management
The Netherlands has the most advanced and developed
Integrated balance sheet management, in combination with
pension industry in the European Union, and leads the
ALM and scenario analysis, helps pension fund trustees
ranking in terms of quantity (130% of GDP in pension assets)
make the right decisions. The Netherlands has the best
st
and quality (1 position in the Melbourne Mercer global
reputation in Europe for asset and liability management.
pension index 2011). The result is an unprecedented level of
The depth and breadth of its knowledge in this area is
knowledge about and experience in pension administration,
unsurpassed – connecting both the debit and credit side of
asset management, trustee services, asset and liability
the balance sheet – and widely applicable in other countries.
1
st
The Netherlands 77.9
Australia 75.0
management, risk management, asset pooling and other
Switzerland 72.7
issues concerning the problems of an ageing population.
Sweden 72.6
The European Commission has liberalized the pension
Canada 69.1
market, making it possible to outsource pension fund
management to institutions in any other EU member state
Global Pension Index
(IORP). The Dutch provide the Premium Pension Institute
Melbourne Mercer 2011
UK 66.0
Chile 64.9
Poland 58.6
16 — Holland Financial Centre
(PPI) for cross-border Pension schemes and companies from
Brazil 58.4
the Netherlands – providing pension fund and insurance
USA 58.1
services – have an unmatched experience.
Singapore 56.7
France 54.4
For centuries the Netherlands has had a stable, robust
Germany 54.2
pension industry, which results in a wide variety of profit
Japan 43.9
and non-profit suppliers. The Netherlands has developed a
India 43.3
long-term strategy that attracts pension fund capital from
China 42.5
around the world to benefit from experience and capacities,
as well as economies of scale.
0
25
50
75
100
Total value of fund assets (split by fund domicile)
Towers Watson 2011
he
Ot
r3
8
nl
with an asset owner appointing a third party to manage the
Switzerland
13
total assets on an integrated basis through a combination
the asset owner’s overall investment objectives. Fiduciary
management is emerging rapidly due to increasing
complexity in regulation, investment options and volatility
on the financial markets. It also helps asset owners to benefit
12
rm
Ge
lia
15
ra
The Centre for Retirement Management is a core activity
t
us
of the Holland Financial Centre and your gateway to all the
pa
Ja
focuses on the international promotion and marketing of the
Dutch pension industry and drives innovation and product
Note:
Others includes the following countries:
Belgium, Chile, China, Colombia, France, India, Ireland, Korea, Kuwait,
Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines,
Portugal, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan and Thailand
26
by her members. The Centre for Retirement Management
UK
A
pension knowledge, experience and capacities represented
development within this industry.
th
8
to certain asset managers.
any
n1
from economies of scale, buying power and gaining access
7
erlands
eth
13 The N
of advisory and delegated investment services, to achieving
21
USA 1
17 — Holland Financial Centre
an institutional investor enters into close cooperation
a 19
pension market, and is in effect an integral part of the
Canad
Fiduciairy management has its origins in the Dutch
Dutch pension system. In this form of asset management,
Br
az
an il 4
d
Sw
5
ed
en
7
Den
ma
rk 9
Fi
Global top 300 Pension funds
Towers Watson 2011
Tap the Dutch
Tap from the experience and expertise of the Dutch pension
industry to manage your specific pension challenges.
The Dutch are open minded, pragmatic, creative and above
all professional. They will respect your history, culture and
will take account of your current economic environment.
Governments call upon our expertise and skills to reform
State Pensions from a social security perspective as well
as to achieve adequate, sustainable and safe pension
provisions. Many of them show interest in our online National
Pension Register for communication purposes.
18 — Holland Financial Centre
Corporations call upon our expertise and skills to assist
them in achieving pan-European pension schemes,
professional governance and administration, integrated and
dynamic balance sheet management to gain grip and control
over their international pension liabilities.
Feel free to contact us via info@hollandfinancialcentre.nl
and see how you can benefit.
Pension fund
Country
Total assets
Government Pension Investment
Japan
$ 1,432,122
Government Pension Fund-Global
Norway
$
550,858
ABP
The Netherlands
$
318,807
National Pension
Korea
$
289,418
5
Federal Retirement Thrift
US
$
264,013
6
California Public Employees
US
$
214,387
7
Local Government Officials
Japan
$
189,633
8
Canada Pension
Canada
$
149,142
9
1
2
3
4
Employees Provident Fund
Malaysia
$
145,570
10
Central Provident Fund
Singapore
$
144,844
11
California State Teachers
US
$
138,888
12
New York State Common
US
$
133,023
13
PFZW
The Netherlands
$
133,002
14
National Social Security
China
$
129,789
15
GEPF
South Africa
$
128,232
Financial Logistics
Use of digital and cash payments in the Netherlands
Number of payments: index (2004=100)
The Dutch banking industry has a long tradition in the
efficient processing of transactions. Fees for payment transactions in the Netherlands are the lowest in Europe, and
the use of EMV payments, online transactions and payment
accounts is among the highest in the world. Consequently
a very substantial portion of all global e-commerce
transactions are processed by companies based in the
Netherlands. Because the Netherlands has become a
leader in the field of internet banking, the banking industry
has extensive experience with electronic payments and
has developed specific expertise in the area of payment
transactions. A good example is iDEAL, a Dutch system
170
160
PIN transactions
150
Cash transactions
140
ATM withdrawals
130
Total transactions
120
110
100
90
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Source: DNB and Currence
for electronic payments, which makes it safe and easy for
trusted internet bank environment. Since November 2011,
iDeal has also been made fit for use on mobile devices,
providing clients with payment solutions where ever they are.
As for the introduction of new products, an alliance of banks
and telco’s is working on the broad introduction of Near Field
Communication Payments.
19 — Holland Financial Centre
users to make online purchases via the services of their own,
Card transactions per capita
Numbers and growth in 2009 compared to 2005
Numbers
200%
180%
DK
FI
160%
SE
140%
UK
120%
100%
The introduction of the Single European Payments Area
80%
60%
(SEPA) will give payment transactions an even stronger
40%
international orientation, and the Netherlands is well-
20%
positioned to benefit from the expected growth of this
0%
subsector. Equens, the Dutch based payments processor,
PT
NL
LU
FR
BE
ES
DE
0%
AT
IT
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Growth
is one of the most innovative and efficient transaction
Source: ECB Statistical Datawarehouse and Currence
service providers in Europe. One of Equens’ innovative
products is a biometric payment service. Safe and simple,
it promises increased customer satisfaction and higher
Payment method used for last online purchase
revenues for the merchant.
Each transaction processed means new data about your
cash balance, working capital or relation with your supplier.
20 — Holland Financial Centre
Dutch service providers have developed impressive
As percentage of number online purchases
50%
50%
40%
Credit card
tools that help you analyse this ‘big data’ and turn it into
valuable information. Whether you need cash management,
Credit transfer
30%
Single mandate
treasury advice or supply chain solutions, companies
like Accept Email. Asyx, Figlo, Jacco and Power to Pay
can help you out.
iDEAL
Acceptgiro
PayPal
20%
19%
10%
0%
8%
7%
5%
5%
2006
2007
Source: Blauw Research
2008
2009
2010
Finance & Sustainability
Sustainability is all around in the Netherlands. Multinationals
The financial industry in the Netherlands is at the forefront
like AKZO Nobel, DSM, Philips, Royal Dutch Shell and
of the ongoing developments around finance and sustai-
Unilever are at the top in their respective sectors of the Dow
nability. Specialized banks like Triodos and ASN are
Jones Sustainability Index. In the food & agri sector
leading examples of sustainable business models, Triodos
Dutch companies excel in efficient use of land, water and
being awarded the Sustainable Bank of the year in 2010
resources. They not only make the Netherlands one of the
by Financial Times. Clean Tech funds know their way to
biggest food & agri exporters in the world, but are also
Robeco and AlpInvest as renowned anchor investors. Dutch
crucial in exporting techniques and education (Wageningen
financials like APG en PGGM play an important role in
University) in order to make it possible to feed a rapidly
developing global guidelines for example with the Principles
growing world population.
for Responsible Investment (PRI) and UNEP Finance
Initiative. SNS Impact Investing play a strong role in enabling
Microfinance projects.
The Netherlands is the homecountry of four
global supersector leaders (2011-2012)
Investments may be best illustrated by the following figure
Name
Supersector
Country
Royal DSM N.V.
Chemicals
The Netherlands
PostNL N.V.
Industrial Goods/Svc
The Netherlands
Royal Philips Electronics N.V.
Personal & Household Goods
The Netherlands
KLM Air France
Travel & Leisure
The Netherlands/
France
The DJSI annually identifies the top company in 19 supersectors. The ranking
is based on a best-in-class approach, including companies across all industries
that outperform their peers in numerous sustainability metrics.
from the Eurosif publication European Sustainable Resources
Initiative (SRI) 2010.
21 — Holland Financial Centre
The leading position of the Netherlands in Responsible
Dow Jones Sustainable Index 2011
The figure shows that the market share of core SRI as part
of national asset management is by far the largest in the
Netherlands compared with six other European countries.
Also the absolute size of Core SRI is the largest in the
Netherlands. On top of that the headoffice of the Global
Reporting Initiative (GRI) is located in Amsterdam. Also
30%
25%
20%
15%
renowned companies like Sustainalytics and TBLI have their
base in Amsterdam.
The Holland Financial Centre for Finance & Sustainability
has been specifically raised to build on the track record and
spread the knowledge gained by the Dutch financials on
sustainable financing across the board, including:
22 — Holland Financial Centre
– sustainable investment;
– financing sustainable projects;
– financing the transition to sustainable energy and clean
tech including energy efficiency;
– trading and financing carbon emission rights and low
carbon energy projects.
10%
Market share of Core SRI /
National AM Industry
Responsible Investment as part of national asset management
NL
CH
5%
UK
0%
BE
DE
-10%
10%
IT
FR
30%
50%
70%
90%
110%
CAGR 2007-2009 of Core SRI
-5%
Source: Eurosif European SRI Survey, 2010
Note: Bubble size represents the size of Core SRI. The chart only includes
countries which showed comparable data
To spread the knowledge in Finance & Sustainability, the
The Holland Financial Centre for Finance & Sustainability is
Holland Financial Centre is working with the Duisenberg
more than willing to help out with knowledge and function as
school of finance in Amsterdam to embed the course
gateway regarding finance & sustainability. For futher infor-
program ‘Finance & Sustainability’ into their existing
mation please contact us at info@hollandfinancialcentre.nl.
Master programs. Professional Education around the abovementioned themes will be developed. It will also be possible
for companies to have tailor-made courses on Finance
& Sustainability for their management. Together with the
Duisenberg school of finance, the University of Maastricht
and the University of Tilburg, HFC has taken the initiative to
start a truly global web portal for Finance & Sustainability
under the name www.fsinsight.org. The portal will spread
cutting edge finance & sustainability knowledge from all
academia around the world like Berkley, National University
of Singapore and Mistra (Sweden). At the same time we will
approach financial institutions to partner.
23 — Holland Financial Centre
over the world. The portal will partner with global leading
Trading Venue
The Netherlands has always been a country of trade. For
products, and the continent’s second derivatives market.
centuries the import and export of goods has formed a great
The recent history of Amsterdam’s stock market is one
part of the economy. Schiphol airport and the Rotterdam
of constant development. It was a founding member
harbor are among the biggest and most modern global
of Europe’s first cross-border exchange initiative Euronext,
logistics hubs. The financial sector plays a significant role
which is now part of the first transatlantic group of
in facilitating all trade related activities. Import and export
exchange operators.
24 — Holland Financial Centre
finance, commodity trading and supply chain finance are
a core competence of Dutch financial institutions.
Dutch market makers like IMC, Optiver and All Options
The Netherlands also plays an important role in the world of
operate all around the world realizing a global number
share and derivatives trading. The country can rightly claim
one position in market making. HFC has worked with
to be the cradle of global share trading. Amsterdam’s stock
Deloitte to develop Fast Track, a new method designed
exchange is the oldest in the world, and in 1602 the Dutch
to give HFC Trading Venue an added stimulus. Various
East India Company became the first company in the world
organizations that are active in the world of trade, from
to go public. The same pioneering spirit was the driving force
market makers to clearing institutions, and from banks
behind the founding of the first options exchange in Europe,
to export insurers contribute innovative ideas that can
creating a market that is still at the forefront of the equity
strengthen the entire branch. Out of many ideas the first
options and equity index options market. Amsterdam’s
concepts that have been brought to market include the SME
stock exchange is the 6th ranking European market for cash
Export accelerator and the IPO Roadmap.
HFC International
HFC organizes and participates in international trade
During 2012 Holland Financial Centre will visit China, India,
missions. In recent years trade delegations have visited
Turkey, USA and many European countries like Germany,
Japan, London, China, Qatar, India, Saudi Arabia, United
UK, France, Monaco, Switzerland and the Scandinavian
States and Switzerland. With our Holland Finance House,
countries.
designed for use at leading conferences in the Netherlands
and abroad, representatives of a number of market parties
For more information on our activities abroad, please contact
tell the story of the Netherlands and highlight the many
us via info@hollandfinancialcentre.nl.
advantages of the Dutch financial centre. The hosts and
hostesses of Holland Finance House hand out their own
HFC works together with the government and advisory
business cards in addition to orange-coloured gadgets.
firms to continuously improve the business climate in the
Holland Financial Centre puts together an orange ‘who’s
Netherlands.
who’ for every event, which contains relevant information
and as many contact details as possible for Netherlandsthe event. Drinks are served at the Holland Finance House
at the end of each day of the conference to encourage
informal contact with visitors to the event.
25 — Holland Financial Centre
based businesses that may be relevant to the theme of
Contact information
If you want to know more of the strong, open and
Holland Financial Centre closely collaborates with the
competitive financial centre in the Netherlands, please
Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) and her
contact us at the address below.
offices around the world to attract new financial companies
to the Netherlands.
Akkie Lansberg, Managing Director HFC
Robin Fransman, Deputy Director HFC
NFIA
26 — Holland Financial Centre
NFIA has offices in Europe (HQ in The Hague, London,
Holland Financial Centre
Istanbul), the US (New York, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta,
Gustav Mahlerplein 3-115
San Francisco), Asia (Tokyo, Osaka, Taipei, Hong Kong,
1082 MS Amsterdam
Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Seoul, New Delhi, Singapore
P.O. Box 75926
and Kuala Lumpur) and in the Gulf Region (Dubai), as
1070 AX Amsterdam
well as an NFIA representative office in Brazil (São Paulo).
The Netherlands
In addition, the NFIA closely cooperates with Dutch
T +31 (0)20 708 5800
embassies, consulates-general and other organizations
info@hollandfinancialcentre.nl
that represent the Dutch government around the world.
www.hollandfinancialcentre.nl
Please visit www.nfia.nl for location and contact details
of your nearest NFIA office.
www.iamsterdam.com