It is a great pleasure to be here today to celebrate Klaas’s time as President of De Nederlandsche Bank and Chair of the Financial Stability Board. But more than that, to recognise Klaas as a very good friend and colleague. Klaas’s time as Governor covered most of the period since the financial crisis. But his career goes further back, both at the DNB and the Ministry of Finance here in the Netherlands. He has seen it all, and has been at the heart of rebuilding financial stability. It is I think therefore appropriate to concentrate on the theme of financial stability. I am going to focus on a number of key questions. What has been achieved in the time since the crisis? What appears to be the challenge today to these achievements? And where do we go from here? There have been times in recent years when we might have treated these questions as matters of more academic speculation, that’s not so today. They are real questions up for debate and challenge. I know that Klaas will want to be part of answering them. And Klaas, you need no encouragement from us, please do get stuck in, with your trademark elegance and force, the hallmark of Dutch football that you are such a keen supporter of.
Published: October 3, 2025 4:33 pm
Source: Bank of England — Read original