Opening kantoor Royal Bank of Scotland
Toespraak van minister de Jager bij de opening van het kantoor van de Royal Bank of Scotland in Amsterdam.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you for inviting me to open your new head office. Days like this are one of the nice things about being Minister of Finance. Especially in times of major cutbacks at home and tough negotiations at European level. I have to say, this is a very fine building. It looks robust, reliable and transparent. Just like a bank should be. As I see it, this building symbolises a promise: the promise of a new era. An era in which financial institutions take their share of responsibility, operate transparently and put their customers first. An era of renewed confidence and solid growth. RBS is a global player and one of the top three banks in Europe.
I’m here today to show how much I value your strong presence in the Netherlands. It’s important to us. Especially to the big players, the listed companies and the multinationals, which have always done well in the Netherlands. Organisations like RBS, with its extensive global network, give them access to the international capital market and help them transfer funds efficiently around the world. The Netherlands needs these services more than most. But there’s more. Banks always have a bit of home bias. They tend to engage more with companies based in the country where their head office is. They simply know them better. And when businesses run into trouble, the banks go the extra mile to help keep them on their feet.
That is especially important in the kind of crisis we have recently been through. Many banks withdrew into their home markets. The Board of RBS Nederland includes a number of experienced bankers who have already helped major Dutch companies and multinationals pull through difficult times. People like Country Executive Officer Jan de Ruiter, who did a great deal for one leading Dutch company.
We hope that Dutch business can also benefit now and in the future from a little ‘home bias’ from RBS, which sees the Netherlands as its second home market for its corporate banking activities. I’m also delighted that you clearly plan to be an active part of the Dutch financial sector. I recently heard that RBS is involved with the Holland Financial Center and the Duisenberg School of Finance. That is proof of your commitment to your Dutch base.
Ladies and gentlemen, As I’ve said, the banks are in the middle of a cultural transition. A process triggered by the global crisis that began with the fall of Lehman Brothers in 2008. Now we all know: we have to change, we have to do things better. We have to restore full confidence in the financial sector. That won’t be easy. You know what they say: it takes a lifetime to win trust and only a moment to lose it. That’s why the key words are responsibility and transparency. Responsibility and transparency in the interest of stable financial markets. In the interests of bank customers, big and small. And ultimately in the interests of everyone in the Netherlands.
We’re working hard to achieve this, and you are too.