Bank chiefs will have to sit a proficiency exam to prove they are up to the job, possibly from next year, finance minister Wouter Bos told a tv programme on Tuesday evening.

Bos said he hoped the scheme, which he called a ‘driving licence for bankers’ will improve public confidence in the sector.
The exam will be drawn up by the central bank and banking sector officials themselves. Bos said he hoped the first tests would be taken next year and he would introduce legislation if necessary.
Earlier in the day Bos told RTLZ in his weekly tv address that politicians must also bear some responsibility for the economic crisis.
It would be silly just to blame bankers, Bos said. Politicians also ‘underestimated the state of affairs’.