Netherlands moves 86 tons of gold from US and Canada to Britain

The Dutch Central Bank has moved 86 tons of its gold reserves from the United States and Canada to London, justifying the decision with "increasing geopolitical unrest."

The bank said gold reserves held in London can be traded more easily than those in New York and Ottawa, making it quicker to use the reserves in the event of a crisis, euronews reports.

"With this step we have improved the availability of our gold reserves. We hope that we will never need to use them, but it is necessary to strengthen our resilience and readiness," said the bank's president, Olaf Sleijpen.

At the end of 2025, the Netherlands had a total of 612.4 tons of gold, worth around 72.2 billion euros. Before the move, 31.3 percent of the reserves were in New York and 19.7 percent in Ottawa.

Following the transfer, the share of Dutch gold held in London has increased from 18.1 to 32.1 percent, while the US and Canada now each account for 18.5 percent of the reserves. The Netherlands continues to hold 30.8 percent of its gold domestically.

The movement was accomplished partly through the buying and selling of gold and partly through physical transportation.

More than 27 tons of gold were physically transported from the US and Canada to Zeist, Netherlands, while the same amount was then shipped from Zeist to London, avoiding the need to melt down the gold bars. /Telegraph/