Klaas Knot Keynote Speaker

Klaas Knot is a Dutch economist and international central banking leader who guided the Netherlands’ central bank through a turbulent decade and a half. As President of De Nederlandsche Bank (2011–2025) and Chair of the Financial Stability Board (2021–2025), he helped steer responses to inflation surges, banking-sector strains and the evolving risks beyond the banking system. His perspective blends policy-maker pragmatism with a clear, audience-friendly style.

Knot’s global vantage point is unique. During his DNB presidency he served on the ECB Governing Council, sat on the BIS Board of Directors, and acted as IMF Governor for the Netherlands—roles that anchor his insights in real-world decision-making at the highest level. He is also a member of the Group of Thirty, bringing a practitioner’s lens to debates on stability, growth and regulation.

In 2025 he concluded his FSB chairmanship as Andrew Bailey assumed the role on 1 July; Knot’s closing letters and speeches to the G20 and the G30 distilled hard-won lessons on non-bank finance, crypto, climate risk and cross-border fragmentation. Organisers value his ability to decode what central banks will do next—and why it matters for boards, investors and policymakers.

Educated at the University of Groningen (MSc, PhD), Knot is Honorary Professor of Economics of Central Banking at Groningen and Honorary Professor of Monetary Stability at the University of Amsterdam. In July 2025, at his DNB farewell, he was appointed Grand Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau. That same month the DNB presidency passed to Olaf Sleijpen, marking the close of Knot’s fourteen-year tenure.