The Dutch central bank has moved a portion of its gold reserves out of the United States and Canada in what the BBC described as a “crisis preparedness” move. According to the BBC, the bank said the decision was driven by “increasing geopolitical unrest”.

Al Jazeera reported that the Netherlands has shifted $10bn of its gold from the United States. The BBC’s report indicated the transfer forms part of a repositioning of where the country stores its bullion reserves.

Al Jazeera reported that the Netherlands holds $83.7bn worth of gold across its domestic and foreign reserves. Against that total, the reported $10bn transfer represents a portion of the country’s overall holdings.

The BBC reported that the Dutch central bank tied its decision to a rise in geopolitical tension, framing the reallocation as a precautionary step rather than a reaction to a specific event.

The sources did not provide further detail on the timeline of the transfers or on where all of the relocated gold will ultimately be stored beyond the reported movements out of the US and Canada.