Societal impact

'I have always been interested in finance, and first came into contact with DNB during my thesis on the impact of a disruptive energy transition due to climate change on financial stability in the Netherlands. Then, during my Master’s programme in International Economics and by talking to friends about it, I increasingly realised that I wanted to use my qualities and broad-based study background to make a societal impact. During the same Master’s programme I also did a research project on the opportunities within Aruba's labour market for economic integration of Venezuelan migrants. This interesting project made me think about my own role in society.

It was from that line of thought that DNB increasingly came on my radar. Because I also find it very important to keep developing myself, I decided to first pursue a second Master's degree in Corporate Law. This drive to keep developing myself then led me to choose the DNB Traineeship – it is the ideal way to get to know the organisation and to keep developing and challenging myself.

Electronic money and payment institutions

When I started the traineeship seven months ago, I was placed in the Electronic Money & Payment Institutions Supervision Department within the National Institutions Supervision Division. As a division, we supervise the somewhat smaller financial institutions in the Netherlands. In my department, I focus on the electronic money and payment institutions sector, a fairly new and therefore interesting one. When I started here, I actually immediately became a second supervisor in charge of a small group of institutions, which means a variety of issues are continuously on the horizon. These may include monitoring the financial soundness of institutions that are, for example, in the process of a merger or acquisition, questions on securing third-party funds, but also, for example, governance or legal issues.

The electronic money and payment institutions sector is relatively young, which means many new developments take place. Since Brexit, there are also many institutions from the UK seeking a licence in the Netherlands to continue providing payment services within the European Union. This in turn raises many new and interesting issues.

Variety and challenge

In addition to my supervisory work, I indicated that I would also like to develop professionally in the area of data-driven working. I have therefore been spending a lot of time on improving data quality, and learning how to program. From day one, I frequently went into the office, to team up as much as possible and keep the lines of communication with my colleagues short. This soon led me to take on more tasks and responsibilities. The traineeship also focuses on your personal development. For instance, my own goal was to take on projects assertively, to give multiple presentations at departmental meetings and to take a leading role in projects and supervisory interviews. This allowed me to quickly settle into my work at DNB.

Professional, personal and social growth

Besides gaining all that specialist knowledge, I also like the fact that the traineeship pays so much attention to your personal and social development. I have found DNB to be a really social and young working environment with little hierarchy. People here are incredibly open and helpful, so you are never alone. I also notice this within our trainee intake: because we started the traineeship together, we all support each other immensely. We have become a very close-knit group in a short amount of time and, for example, recently went to Ghent for a weekend together. That team spirit combined with the focus on development is a big advantage for me over a normal entry-level job. This traineeship allows you to really develop yourself on a professional, personal and social level.'