The Humble Giant

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