Overzicht columns

Han Dieperink: The best time to get on board

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 06:01:56 +0200

^{This column was originally written in Dutch. This is an English translation}

From a rational point of view, the best time to invest is always today. Staying in the market beats trying to time the market. But investors are, after all, not rational beings.

By Han Dieperink, written in a personal capacity

Harry Geels: Piketty’s five fallacies

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 12:16:52 +0200

_{This column was originally written in Dutch. This is an English translation.}

By Harry Geels

In his recent report, Thomas Piketty once again sets out an ambitious worldview. Climate change, inequality and economic structure are brought together in a single, overarching project. However, his solutions contain five systematic fallacies.

Danny Dieleman: The invaluable value of a reliable valuation

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 09:58:44 +0200

_{This column was originally written in Dutch. This is an English translation.}

By Danny Dieleman, Wholesale Banking Director, Capital Treasury, ING

Private debt is playing an increasingly significant role in institutional portfolios, but its valuation is often less transparent than that of listed investments. How do you determine what a private loan is actually worth?

Han Dieperink: Why a hawk like Warsh is cutting interest rates

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 10:03:13 +0200

_{This column was originally written in Dutch. This is an English translation.}

By Han Dieperink, written in a personal capacity

Kevin Warsh has been sworn in as the seventeenth Chair of the Federal Reserve. But anyone who interprets his appointment as a victory for looser monetary policy has not been listening carefully. He stands for the exact opposite.

CFA Society Netherlands: Wanted, sparring partner for Gen Z investors

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 06:04:36 +0200

^{This column was originally written in Dutch. This is an English translation}

Information is available everywhere and at all times. How should people filter information in order to make investment decisions? A recent survey by the CFA Institute shows that there is a clear generational difference in the way investment decisions are made. With the impending transfer of wealth to younger generations over the next 25 years, we must therefore start responding now to clients’ changing information needs.

By Anne-Marie Munnik, Director, CFA Society Netherlands

Probability & Partners: The EU AI Act is here, what’s next?

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 12:22:04 +0200

By Yusi Wang, Senior Risk Consultant at Probability & Partners

Where do regulators and supervisors currently stand on AI? Are they ahead of the curve, or are they still catching up?

Harry Geels: Greece, from debt crisis to market darling

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 12:24:04 +0200

_{This column was originally written in Dutch. This is an English translation.}

By Harry Geels

The country that, a decade ago, was synonymous with mismanagement, debt restructuring and political chaos is once again being embraced by investors. There are broadly four reasons to take a more positive view of Greece. Taken together, they provide an excellent case study for both economists and investors.

EDHEC: Can climate equity investors cope with oil price volatility?

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 08:03:53 +0200

By Shahyar Safaee, Deputy CEO and Head of Business Development, Scientific Portfolio – an EDHEC Venture

Oil price volatility is back. But how vulnerable are climate equity investors this time around? In 2022, after the onset of the war in Ukraine, Paris Aligned Benchmarks (PAB) markedly underperformed market cap-weighted indices. This was largely driven by short risk bias in the energy sector. Now, with record levels of implied volatility in the oil futures market, will climate equity strategies demonstrate greater resilience?

Bob Homan: China is benefiting from the new energy order

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 08:27:04 +0200

_{This column was originally written in Dutch. This is an English translation.}

By Bob Homan, Head of ING Investment Office

Every energy crisis creates winners and losers. In the 1970s, it was Japan that adapted rapidly to a world of expensive energy. In the current energy crisis, China appears to hold the right cards.

IVBN: Sustainability, between ambition and reality

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 10:01:15 +0200

Making homes more sustainable is widely supported, but in practice progress is not picking up fast enough. The ambitions are high, but implementation is complex. This tension affects investment, affordability and the pace of the energy transition in the Netherlands.

By Judith Norbart, Director, IVBN

Pim Rank: Strict rules for loan purchasers and loan servicers

Fri, 29 May 2026 09:03:16 +0200

^{This column was originally written in Dutch. This is an English translation.}

On 18 July 2025, the Act Implementing the Directive on Credit Servicers and Credit Purchasers came into force. This Act provides a regulatory framework for the transfer and management of non-performing loans granted by banks (and the rights arising therefrom).

By Prof. Pim Rank, Solicitor at NautaDutilh in Amsterdam and Professor of Financial Law at Leiden University.

Han Dieperink: Greedflation 2.0

Tue, 26 May 2026 06:04:39 +0200

_{This column was originally written in Dutch. This is an English translation.}

By Han Dieperink, written in a personal capacity

More than two years ago, greedflation was seen as a temporary phenomenon. The reasoning was straightforward: once inflation normalised, the cover under which companies could raise prices excessively would disappear. In an environment of 2% inflation, any company implementing 10% price increases on its own would lose market share. This market discipline was expected to put an end to greedflation. That may be true, but the story appears to have taken a new turn.

Harry Geels: Inflation isn’t just about the money supply

Tue, 26 May 2026 11:20:23 +0200

_{This column was originally written in Dutch. This is an English translation.}

By Harry Geels

Milton Friedman often said: ‘Inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon’, a statement that is often misquoted as ‘inflation is a policy’. It is a powerful statement with a grain of truth, but the story of inflation is broader than that.

Han Dieperink: Wars drive innovation

Fri, 22 May 2026 06:02:04 +0200

^{This column was originally written in Dutch. This is an English translation.}

War is terrible, but the need to win drives innovation in a way that peace rarely manages to achieve.

By Han Dieperink, written in a personal capacity

Edward Roozenburg: AI agents as a prime target for hackers

Tue, 19 May 2026 14:16:52 +0200

_{This column was originally written in Dutch. This is an English translation.}

By Edward Roozenburg, Senior Risk Management Consultant, Probability & Partners

If you’re not careful with AI agents, you’ll be handing them the keys to the pension fund and letting them write down the safe combination straight away. Just what a hacker needs!

Harry Geels: The end of banking (as we know it)

Tue, 19 May 2026 12:28:29 +0200

_{This column was originally written in Dutch. This is an English translation.}

By Harry Geels

Professor Campbell Harvey recently announced the end of the bank as a business model, citing four key developments. It is an interesting view, but things are unlikely to happen that quickly. Regulatory inertia and political interests will keep banks afloat for a long time to come.

AF Advisors: To gain control of the Wtp chain, a guaranteed TOM is required

Tue, 19 May 2026 10:36:09 +0200

_{This column was originally written in Dutch. This is an English translation.}

By Ed Vermeulen, Director of Organisational Consultancy, and Dirk-Jan Gerrits, Partner, both at AF Advisors

During the roundtable discussions on SPR implementation organised by AF Advisors, it became clear once again just how important a shared target operating model (TOM) is for pension funds.

Wim Zwanenburg: Integration of European stock exchanges is essential

Fri, 15 May 2026 10:01:59 +0200

^{This column was originally written in Dutch. This is an English translation.}

The fact that an increasing number of European companies are opting for a primary listing on the NYSE or Nasdaq rather than on the London Stock Exchange or another European stock exchange points to a fundamental problem.

By Wim Zwanenburg, investment strategist at Stroeve Lemberger, written in a personal capacity

IVBN: Local flexibility as a solution to vacant retail space

Fri, 15 May 2026 06:01:18 +0200

^{This column was originally written in Dutch. This is an English translation.}

The housing crisis calls for boldness and political and administrative flexibility. Building homes above shops is a promising, sustainable solution. The fact that projects fail to get off the ground is not due to a lack of will, but to regulations, procedures and financial barriers.

By Judith Norbart, Director, IVBN

Han Dieperink: The bull market is only halfway through

Tue, 12 May 2026 15:21:22 +0200

_{This column was originally written in Dutch. This is an English translation.}

By Han Dieperink, written in a personal capacity

Since the autumn of 2022, I have been sticking to the ‘über-Goldilocks’ scenario: an economic and stock market environment that is almost too perfect. Not too hot, not too cold, but just right – and then a little bit more on top of that.

Harry Geels: Europe is saving itself into poverty

Tue, 12 May 2026 15:18:22 +0200

_{This column was originally written in Dutch. This is an English translation.}

By Harry Geels,

There is now more than €14 trillion in savings held at European banks. In doing so, households are eroding their purchasing power, boosting banks’ profit margins and limiting the investment capacity needed for Europe to catch up with the US. The culture of saving has become too institutionalised in Europe.

Anton Kramer: Investing domestically

Tue, 12 May 2026 08:01:42 +0200

This column was originally written in Dutch. This is an English translation.

By Anton Kramer, Co-founder of OverRendement

Dutch pension funds are under pressure from both politicians and the business community to invest more domestically. Hundreds of billions are needed, particularly for housing construction.

Valentijn van Nieuwenhuijzen: Europe’s awakening

Tue, 12 May 2026 06:01:23 +0200

By Valentijn van Nieuwenhuijzen, Investment Strategist and former CIO of NN Investment Partners/Goldman Sachs Asset Management

Europe is its own harshest critic. We constantly tell ourselves that we are too slow, too bureaucratic and too divided. We look outwards for leadership and inwards for problems. This creates the image of a rudderless continent, dependent on the US for security and technology, whilst China gains ground economically.

Pim Rank: CRD VI - a ban on banking services from third countries?

Fri, 08 May 2026 10:04:50 +0200

^{This column was originally written in Dutch. This is an English translation}

The revised Capital Requirements Directive (CRD VI) makes it considerably more difficult for firms based outside the EU to provide banking services within the EU. The question is whether the proposed restrictions are proportionate.

By Prof. Pim Rank, Solicitor at NautaDutilh in Amsterdam and Professor of Financial Law at Leiden University

MFS: Navigating ESG risk and uncertainty in EMD

Fri, 08 May 2026 06:04:06 +0200

Understanding how material ESG factors influence credit risk is a key aspect of navigating uncertainty and opportunity in emerging market debt investing.

By Pelumi Olawale, Katrina Uzun and Aimee Kaye