The Netherlands

Banking services in The Netherlands

With its central European location and historically strong financial services sector, the Netherlands has a stable political and economic environment. At the heart of this region’s financial sector is it’s thriving capital city, Amsterdam, the birthplace of the stock market in 1602 and one of the most globally diversified financial centres in Europe.

With access to excellent ports, highly skilled workforce, and government incentives for foreign investment, it’s no surprise that the Netherlands is an increasingly popular destination for doing business. Not only is a reliable location for international operations but it supports and advocates innovation and sustainability.

Corporate service providers and international corporations need expert international banking providers who have strong relationships with the global banks to offer their clients a seamless solution when it comes to their Dutch banking needs.

Doing Business in the Netherlands: the benefits

Home to over 180 different nationalities and the number one non-native English speaking country, the Netherlands has a lot to offer for international business. Benefits of Amsterdam for businesses include its flair for innovation, technology, finance, sustainability and more.

As a promoter of sustainability and social value and home to the very first publicly traded company, the Netherlands is an ideal location for setting up a business or expansion.

The Dutch regulatory authorities include the Dutch Central Bank (DCB) and the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM), as well as the European Central Bank (ECB). These regulatory bodies ensure the solidity of financial undertakings and to contribute to the stability of the financial sector.

Corporation tax and financial incentives are in place to promote a competitive fiscal environment for forward-thinking companies. The Dutch Tax Authority are flexible and practical, offering a number of benefits around taxation in the Netherlands. These include participation exemption, bilateral tax treaties to avoid double taxation and for companies looking to employ international employees, the 30% ruling allows employers to offer 30% of employee salaries tax-free.

Banking in the Netherlands

The Netherlands is home to over 96 national and international banks, and they play an active role in the financing of Dutch companies, especially small and medium sized enterprises.

Despite this number, a key challenge here is that the banking market is highly concentrated (ING, ABN AMRO, Rabobank). This has resulted in a slow, centralised onboarding bureaucracy of the Dutch Big Three for complex holding companies.

Dutch banks have committed to supporting a sustainable economy, setting targets to decrease their climate impact and adjusting their services to support the development of a greener economy.

Opening a bank account in the Netherlands can be relatively straight forward with the right providers in place to help you with the process. For businesses registered in the Netherlands, a Dutch (/EU) business bank account is a requirement.

Holding Company Banking: We provide dedicated service for rapidly establishing corporate bank accounts for Dutch B.V. holding and financing companies, which is crucial for legal and fiscal compliance to benefit from tax treaties.
European Treasury Management: We place Regional Headquarters with pan-European banks that support sophisticated treasury functions, including European cash pooling structures and internal debt facilities.
Fund Administration Accounts: We secure banking relationships necessary for fund administration and depositary functions for Funds and Investment Firms, specifically those operating European fund vehicles.

Case study: Banking a Coöperatie U.A.

A Dutch investment entity engaged our team to secure operational banking in the Netherlands to receive dividends and exit proceeds from a minority stake in a large European healthcare business. Structured as a Coöperatie U.A. and administered by a regulated trust and corporate services provider, the entity was classified as "complex". Despite the absence of discretionary assets under management, we prepared a comprehensive onboarding file including ownership disclosures, source-of-wealth statements, and regulatory documentation from the underlying business. We successfully identified and engaged an established Bank, open to the sector. We worked closely with the administrators to clarify documentation, manage expectations, and ensure compliance with Dutch banking standards. This engagement demonstrated our ability to deliver practical banking solutions for complex structures operating in regulated but sensitive sectors, and highlighted our understanding of Dutch legal entities such as the Coöperatie U.A. and the regulatory nuances they entail.

Get in touch with us today to learn more about how we can support you with your international banking requirements in the Netherlands.