Netherlands moves 86 tonnes of gold reserves to London amid geopolitical tensions
The Netherlands has transferred 86 tonnes of its gold reserves from storage facilities in the United States and Canada to London as part of a broader redistribution of its bullion holdings amid rising geopolitical uncertainty.
The Dutch central bank said the move would make a portion of the country's gold reserves easier and faster to trade in the event of a financial or geopolitical crisis. Gold stored in London can be accessed more efficiently through one of the world's major precious-metals trading hubs than reserves held in New York or Ottawa.
Dutch central bank president Olaf Sleijpen said the relocation would strengthen the institution's ability to mobilize its gold holdings when necessary. He emphasized that maintaining the capacity to access and use reserves quickly is an important element of financial resilience and crisis preparedness.
The Netherlands held a total of 612.4 tonnes of gold at the end of 2025, with the reserves valued at approximately €72.2 billion.
Before the redistribution, 31.3% of Dutch gold reserves were held in New York, 19.7% in Ottawa, 18.1% in London and 30.8% within the Netherlands.
Following the operation, the shares stored in New York and Ottawa each fell to 18.5%, while London's share increased to 32.1%. The proportion of gold held domestically remained unchanged at 30.8%.
The central bank said the operation involved a combination of buying, selling and physically transporting bullion rather than simply moving the entire amount directly from North America to Britain.
More than 27 tonnes of gold were transported from the United States and Canada to the Dutch city of Zeist before a similar quantity was subsequently moved from Zeist to London. This approach allowed the bank to avoid melting and recasting the gold bars.
According to the central bank, combining market transactions with physical transfers also helped spread the risks associated with transporting a large quantity of precious metal.
The decision comes as central banks around the world continue to reassess the management and geographical distribution of their reserves in response to geopolitical tensions, financial uncertainty and changing conditions in international markets. Gold remains an important reserve asset because it does not depend on the creditworthiness of another government or financial institution.
For the Netherlands, increasing the share of its bullion held in London is intended to improve the practical accessibility of its reserves while maintaining a diversified storage structure across several locations.
-
18:45
-
18:32
-
18:20
-
18:15
-
18:00
-
17:50
-
17:35
-
17:20
-
17:13
-
17:12
-
17:05
-
16:50
-
16:35
-
16:20
-
16:07
-
16:05
-
16:05
-
16:04
-
15:45
-
15:30
-
15:29
-
15:15
-
15:09
-
15:00
-
14:45
-
14:30
-
14:14
-
13:56
-
13:40
-
13:20
-
13:05
-
12:45
-
12:30
-
12:15
-
12:00
-
11:45
-
11:33
-
11:30
-
11:16
-
11:15
-
11:00
-
11:00
-
10:45
-
10:30
-
10:18
-
10:15
-
10:14
-
10:00
-
09:45
-
09:30
-
09:15
-
09:00
-
08:45
-
08:30
-
08:28
-
08:15
-
22:00
-
21:30
-
21:00
-
20:30
-
20:00
-
19:30
-
19:00
