Netherlands maintains limited financial ties with Middle East
The Netherlands holds limited financial ties with the Middle East, with direct investment concentrated in the oil and gas sector. At the end of 2025, total direct investment positions stood at around €160 billion in both directions.
Direct investments focus on energy sector
The Netherlands' direct investment position in the Middle East reached €157 billion at the end of 2025, with the region holding €161 billion in the Netherlands.
These figures represent approximately 3 percent of the Netherlands' total direct investment.
Strongest links are with Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.
Nearly half of this investment is from the private sector, predominantly in the oil and gas industry.
The remaining half involves conduit companies, which are primarily established for tax or legal reasons and have limited direct financial ties to the Dutch economy.
Direct investments typically involve acquiring significant, long-term stakes in foreign companies, often through parent-subsidiary structures used by multinationals for international operations.
Limited portfolio ties beyond direct investments
Dutch investors maintain only limited portfolio investments in the Middle East, totaling €13 billion at year-end 2025.
This amount constitutes less than 1 percent of the Netherlands' total foreign investments.
Financial institutions, particularly institutional investors, hold over 70 percent of these securities, which primarily consist of shares and bonds.
These portfolio investments are mainly concentrated in Türkiye, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates.
The analysis covered financial ties with a broad range of countries, including Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, the Palestinian Territories, Qatar, Syria, and Yemen, underscoring the overall limited nature of these financial relationships.