Gearing up for growth opportunities in the Netherlands in 2021

Intertrust Group is gearing up for a new year, as we all hope for an eventual recovery from the Covid-19 crisis. In 2021 we anticipate that global business will continue to face increased regulatory pressure and will require enhanced support in order to navigate this complexity.

In 2021 we are all united in our wish to move away from the pandemic – a crisis that has already caused so much suffering. On a personal note, I do feel that if any positives are to be taken from this difficult year that we have all borne witness to the strength of human resilience and cooperation.  Moreover, it has brought about an even stronger conviction that we must come together to achieve a sustainable world for future generations.

Hopefully 2021 will be a year of healing and recovery. When society and the economy begin to return to normal, new opportunities will arise for global business. However, we also understand that many organisations and fund managers will have to navigate a multitude of economic shifts.

The Netherlands offers companies a solid framework

We believe that real estate and private equity in the Netherlands will take major strides in 2021. The Dutch economy, infrastructure and regulatory environment enable Intertrust Group to help companies in their growth trajectory.

We also see many alternative lenders entering the Dutch market, filling the gap left by traditional banks, not only in the residential mortgage space, but also in buy-to-let, trade finance and small and medium-sized enterprises. The Netherlands provides a solid framework for setting up structured finance instruments and will continue to prove attractive to global business.

As Intertrust Netherlands’ clients know, there are many other reasons for organisations to choose the Netherlands as their location of choice. Companies can count on a stable economic and political climate, a fantastic talent pool, good quality of life and an attractive combination of tax and financial incentives. The most important factor to bear in mind is the advanced Dutch infrastructure; airports, rail, road and waterway connections, but also the Dutch digital network. According to the DHL Global Connectedness Index 2020, the Netherlands is once again at the top of the ranking as the most globally connected country.

As far as the fund industry is concerned, we see a lot of liquidity in the market. That is why we expect many transactions to continue to take place in 2021. This applies to all asset classes; the Netherlands will continue to be seen as a stable and good investment platform.

Challenges for the future

This year, our clients have shown tremendous resilience in dealing with the challenges they have faced. Both they and Intertrust Group have shown that even in these extraordinary times, they can be flexible, adapt and change.

We are currently in the middle of implementing the Securitisation Regulation, which came into force on 1 January 2019. We are helping many companies to comply with transparency and disclosure requirements. We must also bear in mind the forthcoming transition of IBOR, which will start on 1 January 2022 and is due to have a major impact on the markets. We are helping our customers to ensure that their transactions meet the requirements through 2021.

The most obvious challenge is the increasingly complex regulatory environment. Fiscal transparency, the fight against money laundering and the efforts to suppress the financing of terrorism have led to new regulations. Companies can struggle with compliance regulations, such as GDPR, market abuse regulations, AML directives and ESG. These requirements not only take more and more time, but also put pressure on scarce specialist workers. We will continue to play a growing role in helping our clients to manage these challenges in 2021. We understand that companies need to focus on their core business so that they can unleash their potential without distractions.