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The Netherlands moves gold out of North America as 'crisis preparation,' transferring 94.8 tons to London in five months Image: AP
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The Netherlands moves gold out of North America as 'crisis preparation,' transferring 94.8 tons to London in five months

From El Universal · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Official statement Outcome reported
  • The Dutch central bank transferred about 86 metric tons of gold from New York and Ottawa to London between March and August as a crisis-preparation measure.
  • The move reduced the share of Dutch gold held in both New York and Ottawa from 31.3% and 19.7%, respectively, to 18.5% each.
  • The bank said London’s gold market offers faster and more direct access to reserves during a crisis.

The Netherlands has moved part of its gold reserves out of North America, describing the relocation as “crisis preparation” amid global political turbulence.

Between March and August, the Dutch central bank transferred about 86 metric tons, or 94.8 tons, of gold to London. Before the move, New York held 31.3% of the Netherlands’ gold and Ottawa held 19.7%. Both cities now hold 18.5%, the bank said.

The bank holds 612.4 metric tons of gold, valued at 72.2 billion euros, or about $83.6 billion, at the end of 2025. More than 27 metric tons were physically moved from the United States and Canada to the bank’s heavily guarded vault at a military base near the central Dutch town of Zeist. A similar amount moved from Zeist to London.

We have improved the tradability of our gold reserves

— Olaf SleijpenThe Dutch central bank governor explained the purpose of relocating the reserves.

The remainder of the relocation involved selling about 59 metric tons in New York and using the proceeds to buy gold in London. Dutch central bank Governor Olaf Sleijpen said the change had improved the tradability of the reserves. “We hope we never have to use them, but we do need to strengthen our resilience and preparedness,” he said in a written statement.

The bank said gold deposited at the Bank of England meets modern international trading standards and is considered the world’s most readily tradable gold. Reserves held in New York and Ottawa, it said, could not be used as quickly or as directly in a crisis.

We hope we never have to use them, but we do need to strengthen our resilience and preparedness.

— Olaf SleijpenHe described the crisis-preparation rationale for the gold transfer.
About this summary

Originally published by El Universal in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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