ABN Amro caught in crossfire amid ICC sanctions

Dutch bank ABN Amro, which handles the finances of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, could face heavy US penalties if it keeps doing so once American sanctions take effect next April, RTL has reported.

The US government announced sanctions against the ICC last week, a significant escalation after it had already sanctioned 13 of the court’s judges and officials. The US says the court threatens American service personnel, and has attacked its decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant.

The sanctions will freeze any ICC assets in the US and bar Americans from providing funds, goods or services to the court. The measures have been delayed for 180 days to allow time for diplomatic talks, and are due to take full effect on April 7, 2027.

ABN Amro is exposed through ABN Amro Clearing, the division that settles share trades for clients and has a large US business. RTL reported that this gives Washington the leverage to fine the bank, bring criminal charges or, in the worst case, put ABN Amro itself on the sanctions list.

The Financieele Dagblad reported that the clearing division made a net profit of €298 million in 2025. The Dutch state is ABN Amro’s largest shareholder.

It is not clear how real the risk is. “The legislation is not at all clearly worded,” Cedric Ryngaert, professor of international public law at Utrecht University, told RTL. He said the uncertainty creates a “chilling effect”, because companies cannot tell whether they are covered.

The cabinet has condemned the sanctions. Prime minister Rob Jetten called them “deeply regrettable” but said dialogue with Washington was still important.

Legal experts and campaign groups want the European Commission to activate the EU’s blocking statute, which would bar European companies from complying with the US measures.

The cabinet previously told MPs it would push for activation if new sanctions were expected to seriously hamper the court’s work.

If that happened, ABN Amro could be forced to choose between breaking EU rules and breaking US ones, RTL said.