The Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets () is the

financial service Financial services are service (economics), economic services tied to finance provided by financial institutions. Financial services encompass a broad range of tertiary sector of the economy, service sector activities, especially as concerns finan ...

regulatory Regulation is the management of complex systems according to a set of rules and trends. In systems theory, these types of rules exist in various fields of biology and society, but the term has slightly different meanings according to context. Fo ...

authority for the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. Its role is comparable to the role of the SEC in the United States.

History

The Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) was set up on 1 March 2002 as the successor to the Securities Board of the Netherlands ( or STE, itself established in 1989). As part of the legislation that created the AFM, its responsibilities were greatly expanded to cover all financial products, including savings, investments, loans, insurance and accounting. The AFM falls under the political responsibility of the Minister of Finance but is an autonomous administrative authority, which means that the AFM operates autonomously based on the powers given by the Minister of Finance.

Responsibilities and operations

The Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets is the body responsible for regulating behaviour on the

financial market A financial market is a market in which people trade financial securities and derivatives at low transaction costs. Some of the securities include stocks and bonds, raw materials and precious metals, which are known in the financial marke ...

s in the Netherlands. This includes regulating the behaviour of all parties involved with the

savings Wealth is the abundance of valuable financial assets or physical possessions which can be converted into a form that can be used for transactions. This includes the core meaning as held in the originating Old English word , which is from an ...

loans In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the debt ( ...

investment Investment is traditionally defined as the "commitment of resources into something expected to gain value over time". If an investment involves money, then it can be defined as a "commitment of money to receive more money later". From a broade ...

and

insurance Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to protect ...

markets. It includes regulating all organisations that provide financial products and those that issue products, including

stock exchange A stock exchange, securities exchange, or bourse is an exchange where stockbrokers and traders can buy and sell securities, such as shares of stock, bonds and other financial instruments. Stock exchanges may also provide facilities for ...

s. The AFM has the following three aims: #making the financial markets more accessible #promoting the smooth operation of the financial markets #promoting confidence in the financial markets. The public, the business sector and the government all depend on the financial products offered on the various markets for many of their activities. Confidence in the orderly and honest operation of these markets is therefore crucial. The AFM works in conjunction with the

De Nederlandsche Bank De Nederlandsche Bank (, , abbr. DNB) is the national central bank for the Netherlands within the Eurosystem. It was the Dutch central bank from 1814 to 1998, issuing the guilder. Since 2014, it has also been the country's national competent au ...

which is responsible for prudential regulation in the

Administration

The executive board of the AFM consists of: *Laura van Geest (chair, since February 2020) * Hanzo van Beusekom (since September 2018) * Jos Heuvelman (since September 2018) Linda Sas is COO since 1 May 2021.

International

With the advent of

Euronext Euronext N.V. (short for European New Exchange Technology) is a European bourse that provides trading and post-trade services for a range of financial instruments. Traded assets include regulated equities, exchange-traded funds (ETF), warrant ...

stock exchange which is not only located in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

, but also in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

, the AFM works closely with the regulators in those other countries to regulate this cross border

. The AFM is a member of the

European Securities and Markets Authority The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) is an agency of the European Union located in Paris. ESMA replaced the Committee of European Securities Regulators (CESR) on 1 January 2011. It is one of three European Supervisory Authori ...

(ESMA). ESMA is an independent EU Authority that contributes to safeguarding the stability of the European Union's financial system by enhancing the protection of investors and promoting stable and orderly financial markets. The AFM also participates in the

International Organization of Securities Commissions International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

(IOSCO), which brings together more than 80 securities regulators from all around the world. In its role as an audit supervisor, AFM is also a member of the International Forum of Independent Audit Regulators (IFIAR).

References

External links