“I’ll put my The Hague accent aside,” jokes Harry Wientjens, a native of The Hague and director at Rabobank Regio Den Haag. An introductory video shown during the Rabobank Prinsjesdag Event depicts him driving from the headquarters on Bezuidenhoutseweg to the Vrijheidsmaaltijden on May 5 in an electric Rabo-Eend to engage in conversation with the city’s residents. To mark Prinsjesdag, the cooperative bank has set up a pavilion tent and a grandstand on Lange Voorhout on this special September day to offer business and private banking clients a prime view of the royal procession. Bank executives and specialists briefed them on, among other things, this year’s theme: resilience. Wientjens explains his role. “In addition to my job at Rabobank, I am chairman of The Economic Board The Hague. In that capacity, I propose adding the word ‘safety’ to our international city’s positioning: ‘The Hague, city of peace, justice, and safety.’ In recent years, that last word has become increasingly important due, for example, to far-reaching geopolitical shifts and social and climatic developments. And, not to be forgotten, due to advancing digitalization, culminating in the widespread adoption of AI (artificial intelligence, ed.) across all sectors. Security begins with a resilient society. What can we do ourselves to reduce our vulnerability while still maintaining the same pleasant, open society? There is only one way: by working together.”

To mark Prinsjesdag, Rabobank The Hague offered its business and private banking clients a prime view of the royal procession.

At the kitchen table

Wientjens notes that politics, both at the national level and within The Hague’s municipal government, has become highly fragmented, and adds with some surprise: “The Hague has eighteen parties, each with a single focus; as a result, the complex search for compromises has brought effectiveness and progress to a virtual standstill.”

For Rabobank, a strong relationship with customers, society and partners at every level is essential. "I belong to the Haagse Markt just as much as to the Lange Voorhout. To families on a minimum income just as much as to top earners, from folding bikes to Lamborghinis. I seek dialogue with people in all their diversity, local politicians included." The director explains how Rabobank aims to hold on to the trusted "way things used to be." "You could call it nostalgia in a modern jacket. In the past, Rabobank used to sit with you at the kitchen table, and we're continuing that familiar feeling, just in a modern way now." With a modest smile: "My focus is on The Hague broadly, but out of the corner of my eye the national interest doesn't escape me either, and the same goes for all my colleagues. As a cooperative bank that reaches into every capillary of society, we owe that to our nine million customers."

Our colleague Inge Bryan (Project Lead Resilience), an expert in the field of resilience, nods in agreement. Her perspective encompasses all continents outside Europe, with a particular focus on America. “The loss of the US as a reliable partner is having an impact on our digital infrastructure. American software currently dominates this sector. In collaboration with fellow banks, we are developing a Europe-wide strategy within the Platform Security initiative to drastically reduce our 80 per cent dependence on foreign software. ASML’s substantial investment in AI is a positive step towards scaling up. The key is for businesses and citizens to learn to think ahead and adapt the way we organise ourselves, shifting from efficiency to resilience.”

Operational risks

Thanks to her background at the AIVD, the National Criminal Investigation Department and Fox-IT, Bryan is far from naïve about the Netherlands“ vulnerabilities. ”The Dutch banking sector is performing relatively well – by global standards, we are the best protected – but I hasten to add that this is partly due to significant investments in knowledge in the past.”

Digitalisation needs to be prioritised, especially now. “Three successive State Secretaries for Digital Affairs have had to work hard just to get government IT systems on the same page. Large businesses are well prepared, but small and medium-sized enterprises – which account for 85 per cent of our economy – are not sufficiently so. All aspects of prosperity are showing progress, but our digital security is deteriorating.”

Otto Raspe, chief economist at RaboResearch, highlights the risks that affect a company’s business continuity. “Cybersecurity, certainly, but just as much a trade war involving tariffs or external weather conditions. Resilience requires comprehensive risk management.”

Otto Raspe was the guest speaker on this special day in September.

Economically strong

Raspe continues: “Amidst this uncertainty, the Dutch economy is still performing well; we expect growth of 1.5 per cent this year. However, there are significant regional differences behind that figure. The Hague/Rotterdam region is growing at a slower rate than Amsterdam or Eindhoven. Productivity growth, a key component of economic growth, is stagnating. This is certainly the case in regions outside Amsterdam and Eindhoven.”

Drawing on their own specific areas of expertise, Wientjens and Bryan arrive at a shared view: “The Netherlands would benefit from a reduction in the regulatory burden, which should also be predictable over a longer period. This would give businesses and individuals the scope to invest in the absolutely essential strengthening of their resilience.”

www.rabobank.nl

www.rabobank.nl/denhaag