ABN AMRO Bank N : Kees van Dijkhuizen on coronavirus measures - update

The coronavirus outbreak is having a huge impact on the Netherlands and the rest of the world. First and foremost, of course, on the people infected by the virus and those close to them. Businesses are also being hit, and the stock markets have suffered substantial losses.

As a bank we have an important role in society. It is up to us to ensure that you can continue to access your money, make payments and investments, and take out loans.

Support measures

These are difficult times for our clients. Some sectors have already been hit hard and many businesses are seeing their continuity jeopardised. ABN AMRO is doing everything it can to support businesses and individuals. We have introduced a package of support measures for business owners and retail clients in the Netherlands, allowing them to defer principal and interest payments on their loans. Businesses can also make use of the SME credit guarantee scheme.

Advice and expertise

Let me assure you that we are also here to help you get through this crisis, with advice and answers to questions about risk and return levels on your assets. Our relationship managers, bankers and specialists would be happy to discuss with you various scenarios and investment options, to identify any funding issues you might come up against and explore solutions.

Our investment specialists are eager to share their expertise with you, and our sector economists' analyses will bring you up to speed on the impact of the coronavirus crisis on various sectors. Another interesting source of information is the podcast series, featuring a variety of business owners.

2,000 laptops

We're doing our best to help out on other fronts as well. For instance, we gave two thousand laptops to children who currently need to follow their school lessons at home but do not have a laptop.

Banking as usual

Our 20,000 colleagues are making sure you can keep doing your banking as usual in the exceptional situation we find ourselves in.

It is of the utmost importance that we safeguard the health of ABN AMRO's employees and their ability to continue working. To achieve this, since Wednesday 11 March all of our departments in the Netherlands have been divided into teams that work alternately at our offices and from their digital workspaces at home.

Our branch offices are open

The opening times of most of our branch offices remain unchanged for now. We may need to close some offices if too many employees become ill. You can see the current opening times here. Would you prefer to talk to us from home? In many cases we can advise you via an online video meeting. Thousands of our clients have used this option already and been very satisfied with the service.

Remote advice

Our relationship managers will continue to visit our business clients and associates, as long as this does not jeopardise the health of our clients or employees. In many cases, relationship managers can offer clients online video consultations.

Investments and transactions

You can continue to place your investment and transaction orders as you always have. Please bear in mind that, in these times of volatile markets, it is busier than usual. You can always visit our website to see the latest information and frequently asked questions.

More contactless payments

To minimise the number of people who touch the payment terminals, you can now make contactless payments of up to 50 euros using a debit card, wearable or Apple Pay. For your security, you will have to enter your PIN when you have reached 100 euros of contactless payments.

Hygiene measures

Needless to say, we are doing everything we can to safeguard the health and safety of our clients and business associates. Our branch office staff are adhering to the hygiene rules set out by the Dutch public health authority RIVM. For example, employees are staying at home if they have any cold symptoms and they are not shaking hands with clients and business associates.

Together we keep banking safe

In these exceptional times it remains a priority for us to help you to recognise fraud by offering you tips on secure banking on our website.

The coronavirus is having an enormous impact on the world. I am confident that, once the end of this crisis is in view, we will rebuild the economy together. Now, too, we are pulling together to get through these challenging times - for our loved ones, our employees and our clients.'

Kees van Dijkhuizen, CEO of ABN AMRO