The Dutch Central Bank may record a loss in 2011 owing to the ongoing economic crisis in the eurozone and decided not to pay an interim dividend, the Dutch finance minister said on Wednesday.

"Serious consideration must be given to the possibility that the DNB, instead of showing a projected profit, may record a lower one or even a loss," Jan Kees de Jager said in a letter to the Dutch Parliament's Lower House.

He added the DNB, in which the Dutch government is the sole shareholder, decided not to pay an interim dividend for this year, as opposed to the finance ministry's projection for a figure of 575 million euros (U$755 million).

The DNB's interim dividend to the Dutch state last year amounted to 1.02 billion euros euros, financial daily Financieele Dagblad reported.