Oscar Gelderblom

Prof. dr. Oscar Gelderblom is a Professor of Financial History at Utrecht University since 2014. His research spans economic history, financial history, trade history, migration, and political economy, with a focus on institutional frameworks shaping commerce and finance. Gelderblom obtained his PhD at Utrecht University in 2000, studying Southern Dutch merchants' role in Amsterdam's rise as a trade hub (1578–1630). He co-edited works on the Dutch Republic's political economy (2009) and authored Cities of Commerce (2013), analyzing institutional foundations of trade in the Low Countries (1250–1650).

• Research Focus: Financial systems pre-1800, inclusive finance in 20th-century Netherlands, SME financing, and financial development of the Low Countries.
• Projects: Co-leader of Utrecht’s financial history group, collaborating with NTR on the citizen science TV series Kasboekje van Nederland (2018), exploring Dutch households' financial records.

Collaborations: Works with Joost Jonker and others on mapping financial inclusion through historical cash books. His group examines SMEs, political elites' investment behavior, and agrarian sector dynamics during crises.