Netherlands Transports 78 Tons of Gold from New York to London Amid Geopolitical Turmoil - Sarmad

The Dutch Central Bank (DNB) transferred more than 78 tonnes of gold from New York to London, a move described as politically sensitive and driven by “growing geopolitical disruptions.”

Enhancing Crisis Preparedness

The bank stated that the objective of this step was to distribute its gold reserves more evenly across different regions to strengthen its capacity to withstand crises, according to CNBC Arabic.

Governor Olaf Sleijpen said that moving gold to London “improved the tradability of our reserves,” noting that the British capital is the world’s largest gold trading hub, with weekly transactions exceeding $900 billion.

European Concerns

The decision followed calls from European politicians and lobbying groups to repatriate gold from the United States, amid warnings that the administration of US President Donald Trump could seize it amid transatlantic tensions.

France had preceded the Netherlands by removing all its gold reserves from New York between July 2025 and January 2026.

Gold Outperforms Bonds

Data from the European Central Bank showed that gold surpassed US Treasury bonds last year to become the world’s largest reserve asset.

Nevertheless, some central banks have expressed growing concern about storing gold in the United States.

Transfer Details

The Dutch central bank holds 612 tonnes of gold. It transferred 78 tonnes from New York and 7 tonnes from Ottawa. Of this, 27 tonnes were physically moved to Europe, while the remainder was sold in the US and replaced with newly purchased gold in London.

Gold prices rose by 25% over the past 12 months, reaching approximately $4,364 per ounce.