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Klaas Knot

Former President, Netherlands Bank

Search every verified Klaas Knot interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Klaas Knot, who stepped down as president of De Nederlandsche Bank in mid-2025 after 14 years, has continued to speak publicly on financial stability, European integration, and monetary policy. In February 2026, he delivered the keynote at EIOPA’s anniversary conference, where he warned that the biggest threats to financial stability now lie outside traditional banks, in the non-bank financial intermediary sector. He cited data showing that in 2025, around 56% of bilateral repo transactions by hedge funds in US Treasury markets were conducted with zero haircuts, which he described as "worrisome." He also noted that the UK gilt market crisis of 2022 demonstrated how real-money investors like pension funds can pose risks to financial stability. At the same event, he praised EIOPA for showing "maturity, ambition, and a clear sense of purpose" at age 15. In a February 2026 lecture in memory of Mathieu Segers, Knot argued that deeper European economic integration is necessary for Europe to survive in an era of superpowers, stating that "sharing sovereignty is necessary" and that Europe needs higher economic growth "not to become like the Chinese or Americans, but to preserve and defend what we value in Europe." He also addressed the question of countries that obstruct harmonization, citing the concept of "variable geometry" as a possible approach. In earlier appearances in 2025, Knot expressed openness to eurobonds for joint defense financing, saying he wished for a "more rational debate" on the topic in the Netherlands, and noted that while the Netherlands would not directly benefit from lower borrowing costs, it would benefit from stronger European defense. He also discussed the impact of US trade tariffs, stating in May 2025 that it was "crystal clear" tariffs could hit growth in the short term, and that the ECB was in a "pretty good place" with rates neither restrictive nor stimulative.

Recent appearances

Verified interview transcripts

Notable quotes

“Een land dat niet meer investeert is een land wat in de renteniersstand schiet. En ik denk we hebben ook net het rapport van Peter Wenning gehad, waarvan eigenlijk ja, de conclusie het omgekeerde is, dat Nederland toch echt iets zal moeten doen om de toekomstige groei te kunnen waarborgen.”

“Het gaat hier echt om economische structuurversterking. Het gaat hier om woningbouw, bedrijvigheid, verbeterde bereikbaarheid. En ik zou ook willen toevoegen nationale cohesie, ook zorgen dat elke regio inderdaad ook echt telt.”

“For example, when we look at hedge funds using repo markets to finance sovereign bond trades, we see that in 2025, around 56% of bilateral repo transactions by hedge funds in US Treasury markets were conducted with zero haircuts.”

“Today, however, the biggest threats to financial stability may lie outside traditional banks in the realm of what we call non-bank financial intermediaries or in short NBFI.”

“Delen van soevereiniteit is nodig: we moeten met z'n allen gezamenlijk besluiten nemen over zaken zoals we dat ook in Frankfurt doen — ons Nederlands monetair beleid hebben wij in 1999 opgegeven, maar daar hebben we iets voor teruggekregen.”

“Ja, we hebben hogere economische groei nodig. Niet om te worden zoals de Chinezen of de Amerikanen, maar om te behouden en te verdedigen wat wij in Europa belangrijk vinden.”

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