Two European private banks have become possibly the first private banks to be nationalised, after the Dutch government acquired the assets of ABN Amro in Holland. The move calls into question whether other private banks could fall under government ownership in the future.

The Dutch government is buying the core Netherlands businesses of Fortis, the troubled Benelux conglomerate, for €16.8bn (£13.1bn). The operations include private banks Neuflize OBC in Paris and Delbrück Bethmann Maffei in Frankfurt.