El banco central de Países Bajos retira lingotes de oro de Nueva York por la 'inestabilidad geopolítica'

The Netherlands' central bank, known as the DNB, has moved over 78 tons of gold from New York to London due to increasing geopolitical instability. This decision was made to enhance the bank's preparedness for crises by distributing its gold reserves more equitably among different jurisdictions. The DNB argues that London is the world's largest physical gold trading center, with transactions exceeding $900 billion (775 billion euros) weekly.

The move follows similar decisions by France, which repatriated all its gold from the New York Federal Reserve between July 2025 and January 2026. The DNB emphasizes that the gold stored in the Bank of England meets international trade standards and is the most easily negotiable gold in the world. The bank expects to use this gold only in emergencies but stresses the need to strengthen its response and preparation capabilities.

The move comes amid a historic surge in gold prices and a broader shift by central banks towards precious metals. The price of gold has risen by 25% over the past 12 months, currently hovering around $4,364 per troy ounce. The DNB holds a total of 612 tons of gold and has transferred more than 78 tons from New York and seven tons from Ottawa, Canada.

The bank physically moved only 27 tons from the U.S. and Canada to Europe, selling the rest in America and purchasing new bars in London. Germany's Bundesbank, which holds the second-largest gold reserves globally, has stored half of its reserves domestically since 2013, moving 674 tons from Paris and New York to its headquarters in Frankfurt.

Currently, about a third of the Bundesbank's gold reserves are stored in New York. In early 2026, the Bundesbank's president, Joachim Nagel, dismissed calls to repatriate more gold from the U.S., stating that the U.S. would hurt itself by questioning the legal status of its gold, thereby risking market confidence.