The Dutch government will make available 20 billion euro ($40 billion) to protect the financial sector against shocks from the world economic crisis.
"The Netherlands has many financial institutions. They now have certainty,'' Finance Minister Wouter Bos said yesterday. "The idea (behind the move) is to prevent big problems.''
Last Friday, the government announced it would nationalise the Dutch activities of Belgian-Dutch banking group Fortis in a $US16.8 billion euro deal aimed at preventing the US-born financial crisis from claiming another European victim.
And on Tuesday, the finance ministry said the government would increase its bank deposit guarantee to 100,000 euro from 38,000.
AFP
