Economic vulnerabilities

‘During my internship at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after my study Economics, I soon discovered that I missed working on financial social issues. I enjoy being committed to solving structural economic problems within society and I’m not driven by profit. That’s how I ended up as a trainee at DNB about five years ago. The traineeship was a great experience and a jump-start to my career at DNB. In recent years, I have supervised a large insurance company, produced European statistics at the ECB in Frankfurt, and advised Klaas Knot on international issues at the G20 and the IMF. For one year now, I’ve been working as an Economist Financial Stability on solutions for the problems in the housing market and I co-write the Overview of Financial Stability.

Financial stability

Specifically, I’m concerned with the resilience of financial institutions to developments and shocks in the housing market. Banks are the main lenders of mortgages in the Netherlands and a large part of their loans are mortgages. Suppose unemployment rises or mortgage interest rates rise: can homeowners still afford their monthly mortgage payments? Or do we expect the losses of banks to increase, and do they have sufficient reserves to handle this? What are the consequences of falling house prices for financial institutions and households? These are just a few of the issues I research.

Besides this, I am jointly responsible for writing the half-yearly Overview of Financial Stability. In the overview, DNB describes the main vulnerabilities and risks to financial stability in the Netherlands. The topics are diverse and often urgent: climate and cyber risks, the financial consequences of the corona crisis, the behaviour of new players in the financial sector. We also present policy recommendations and announce actions that DNB itself is taking in order to reduce risks. I enjoy dealing with such macro topics, issues that have an impact on society as a whole.

Positive work climate

In addition to being able to contribute to solutions for societal problems, DNB's attention to diversity and inclusion also ensure that I’m in the right place here. I am a homosexual myself and it’s important that I can be myself completely and comfortably within the workplace. DNB is doing its best to become increasingly diverse and fit in well with society, but we’re not there yet, and differences exist between departments. But I can feel the positive wind blowing through the organisation and a climate is being created wherein colleagues can and dare to be themselves. Our focus is broadening increasingly, and we try to include developments in society within the organisation. This inclusive work climate also creates a strong sense of belonging. We truly do the work together.

At DNB, we also have various networks, for and by employees, that contribute to that sense of belonging. I am on the board of the LGBTQ network called DNB Pride, which is highly valued and encouraged by the organisation. I would like to bring about change, and at DNB, I can – both in terms of diversity and inclusion, and with the financial and economic studies I perform.’