Dutch entrepreneurial scene jeopardized by closed-minded individuals, according to Bunq CEO's warning
The Netherlands, known for its high quality of life, solid economy, and good infrastructure, is facing a growing trend of Dutch entrepreneurs and tech companies considering or planning to relocate. This shift is largely due to a perceived culture of risk-aversion, hostility to ambition, and over-regulation in the Netherlands.
Ali Niknam, the founder and CEO of Dutch fintech Bunq, one of Europe's biggest neobanks, will speak at a conference on June 20 in Amsterdam. Niknam, who grew Bunq into Europe's second-largest neobank after Revolut and one of the few to achieve profitability, with over 17 million users and more than €8bn in deposits, believes the tide can turn for tech businesses in the Netherlands by changing the attitude and mindset.
Niknam contrasts the Netherlands' current climate with the optimism, openness, and rapid growth of the tech ecosystem in the Baltics. He expresses concern about the Netherlands' business mindset, citing risk-aversion, growing insularity, and hostility to ambition as factors driving talent overseas.
One of the key reasons for this trend is over-regulation and increasing restrictions. Recent tightening of immigration policies, such as the Dutch government's stricter Highly Skilled Migrant Scheme introduced in 2025, raises salary thresholds and imposes more rigorous conditions on firms sponsoring foreign talent. This complicates hiring highly skilled international workers, a necessity for scaling tech companies.
Tech firms have raised concerns over losing access to global talent, with ASML, the largest company in the Netherlands, threatening to move abroad due to the country's hardening stance on migrants. Another study found that 24% of large companies in the Netherlands were contemplating moves abroad, nearly double the share from the year before.
Despite these challenges, Niknam remains upbeat about the future for tech businesses in the Netherlands, citing the great people, schooling, and infrastructure as assets. However, he believes the Netherlands is abandoning its internationalist roots, which is damaging its tech ecosystem and chasing talent away.
Notable examples of tech companies considering or planning to relocate include Bird, one of the country's biggest tech scaleups, which announced plans to shift operations out of the Netherlands due to over-regulation and a bad climate for tech businesses.
As the trend of Dutch entrepreneurs and tech companies considering or planning to relocate continues, it remains to be seen whether the Netherlands can adapt its regulatory and cultural climate to support ambitious startups and tech companies seeking rapid growth and international talent.
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- The growing trend of Dutch entrepreneurs and tech companies contemplating relocation, as observed in the case of Bird, one of the country's biggest tech scaleups, is a cause for concern due to the perceived over-regulation and unfavorable business climate in the Netherlands.
- The future of the tech industry in the Netherlands hinges on its ability to adapt its regulatory and cultural climate to be more supportive of ambitious startups and tech companies seeking rapid growth and international talent, as expressed by Ali Niknam, the founder and CEO of Dutch fintech Bunq.
