Belgian Triodos investors file a complaint in the Netherlands

About 250 Belgian investors in Triodos certificates will file a complaint with the regulators in the Netherlands, Belgian newspaper La Libre Belgique reported on Saturday. They want compensation for the losses they incurred on the bank's alternative shares.

The investors asked the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) and the DNB, the Dutch central bank, to launch an investigation into possible violations of Dutch financial supervision regulations. The investors sent both the AFM and DNB dated December 28.

The Belgian complainants believe that a new system for trading the certificates through a platform managed by the Dutch company Captin has "fundamentally" changed the certificates. This change is also in terms of risk class.

"This means that the trading of the certificates is no longer in accordance with the rules of the market," attorney Laurent Arnauts wrote from his Brussels office. He said that the protection of investors "falls under the supervision of the AFM."

He added that the change in risk class also affects the stability of the bank. As such, he argued it was a matter which "falls under the supervision of the DNB."