Big Dutch banks, brewers and housing corporations have cannabis cafe interests
The coffee shop turnover is estimated to total some €1bn a year
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
The four biggest Dutch banks – Rabobank, ING, ABN Amro and Volksbank (formerly SNS) – have lent cannabis cafe owners some €1.1bn using 170 coffee shops as security. The figures come from a research project carried out by the Financieele Dagblad and investigative website Investico which looked at connections between Dutch firms, entrepreneurs and the public sector, and the cannabis industry. The research shows that brewers such as Heineken and AB InBev have lent money to people active in the sector while 46 of the country’s 570 coffee shops are located in property run by a housing cooperation. Earlier research suggests around 25% of coffee shops have links to organised crime. (See also: Rotterdam mayor wants to sell cannabis cafe licences to highest bidder)
