| Wilco Jiskoot | ||||||
You might expect to find Dutch bankers in the autumn before the final stage of the introduction of the European single currency getting geared up for E-day. In fact they seem to be incredibly complacent about it. All the work has already been done, they say.
Fortis Bank transformed all its staff accounts from guilders into euros in May. From September 1, all new loans and mortgages will be denominated in euros. It was felt important that everybody should be focused on the euro. "People are very aware about the coming of the euro," says Hans Breuving, vice-chairman of Fortis Bank in The Netherlands. "The population's main concern has been to convert its charge cards from guilders into euros, but we think this will all be done by the end of the year."
At ABN Amro, bankers are confident that the euro will pass into history without a stumble.