Dutch central bank shifts billions in gold to London in 'preparedness' move

The Dutch central bank announced on Wednesday that it has moved billions of dollars worth of its gold reserves out of North America in a move it described as "crisis preparedness" in a time of global political unrest.

It said that between March and August, some 86 metric tons (94.8 tons) of gold were transferred to London from the combined total of around 313 metric tons (345 tons) held in New York and Ottawa, Canada.

Before the move, New York housed 31.3 per cent of the Dutch gold, and Ottawa held 19.7 per cent.

After the move, both cities now hold 18.5 per cent, the bank said.

The bank owns 612.4 metric tons (675 tons) of gold that was worth 72.2 billion euros (about USD 83.6 billion) at the end of 2025.

"With this relocation, we have improved the tradability of our gold reserves," the bank's governor, Olaf Sleijpen, said in a written statement.

"We expect that we will never need to use them, but we do need to strengthen our resilience and preparedness." More than 27 metric tons