#1 ‘Banken zijn over een paar jaar niet meer ‘too big to fail.’

Arnoud Boot, Professor of Financial Markets and Corporate Finance at the University of Amsterdam, is the first guest in Nieuwe Anchors, featuring extensive and insightful interviews at a time of significant change. Boot searches for new private-public anchors. The financial sector is bankrupt, he says, because banks must be rescued no matter what. Boot believes this is outdated, also because money market funds (such as Apple, which collaborates with Goldman Sachs) are eroding the financial foundation that banks derive from the deposits they hold. The emancipation of the saver is coming. Banks will soon no longer be too big to fail. They can no longer hold the public sector hostage. It's time to quickly ensure that big tech doesn't become too big to fail in the future. Boot also discussed a new role for the government in relation to the business community. In his farewell report for the WRR, "Good Business – Towards a Greater Social Contribution of Business," he argues that government business policy needs an overhaul. This includes fewer subsidies and tax breaks, more clarity for the long term, and strict requirements. Boot: "We didn't just speak with policymakers for this report, but also with entrepreneurs who are already actively involved." Despite all the criticism of the Netherlands—"I hear that every day," he praises our country as highly respected on a global scale. "I don't know anyone in the business world who calls our government corrupt; that's very different elsewhere." He also admires the fact that we always work our way back out of a crisis and are therefore strong. "If we just throw in the towel for a generation, we'll still be doing well here. But we mustn't let ourselves be lulled into complacency and stay awake." Nieuwe Ankers is created by Paul van Liempt (concept and interviews), Camiel Notermans (producer), and Rob Vermaas (director).