National News
As gold prices hit historic highs, gold loans surge
For generations, the “locker of the house”—the family’s ancestral gold— was a sacred reserve of last resort. To pledge a wife’s mangalsutra or a grandmother’s bangles was a mark of deep financial shame, the ultimate signal of a family in distress.
But a fundamental shift in the Indian psyche is turning that social taboo into a sophisticated financial strategy. As gold prices hit historic highs, what was once “idle” jewelry is being recast as a high-octane asset class, driving triple-digit growth across the sector and attracting a new breed of affluent borrower.
The shift is most visible in the scale of borrowing. Historically, the gold loan market was dominated by the small borrower, with loans under Rs.2.5 lakh ($3,000) making up 60% of the market.
New data from CRIF High Mark reveals a sharp reversal:
- FY2025: Small-ticket loans dipped to 51% of the market.
- Current Fiscal (8 Months): Small-ticket loans have cratered to just 40%.
The vacuum is being filled by entrepreneurs and high-net-worth individuals (HNIs) who are using gold as collateral to secure single-digit interest rates for business expansion, often bypassing more expensive unsecured loans.
According to a Morgan Stanley note in Oct 2025, India holds about 34,600 tonnes of gold, valued at approximately ₹550 lakh crore. In comparison, the value of gold loans in India stands at around ₹15 lakh crore, against which nearly ₹25 lakh crore worth of gold is pledged.
Why Monetization Failed Where Loans Succeeded
The trend represents a private sector victory where government policy stumbled. In 2015, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) launched the Gold Monetization Scheme to bring an estimated 25,000 tonnes of privately held gold into the formal economy.
The policy failed largely due to sentimental barriers. To earn interest, owners had to melt their jewelry into bullion, effectively destroying the artistic value and ancestral craftsmanship of heirlooms.
A Structural Change
Banking analysts suggest this is not a temporary spike, but a structural realignment in how India perceives wealth. The modern borrower is increasingly pragmatic, prioritizing the cost of capital over the stigma of the pawnshop.
As banks and NBFCs digitize the process—offering doorstep pick-up and instant credit—the traditional local moneylender is being replaced by fintech-driven platforms and institutional vaults.
The family gold is finally stepping out of the shadows—returning not as ornamentation, but as a powerful line of credit.
National News
Gold Industry Proposes New Strategy To Cut Imports and Boost Local Economy
Precious Metals Refineries Forum (PMRF) Has Proposed A Two-Track System To Manage Gold More Efficiently
Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to reduce gold imports and foreign travel, major Indian bullion and jewellery bodies have submitted a new plan to the government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The strategy aims to lower the nation’s trade deficit by tapping into the estimated 30,000 tonnes of gold sitting in Indian households.
This move comes after India’s gold imports jumped 24% to a record $71.9 billion in the 2025-26 financial year, with over 721 tonnes of gold brought into the country.
The New Strategy: Two Separate Systems
The Precious Metals Refineries Forum (PMRF) has proposed a two-track system to manage gold more efficiently:
- For Exporters: Imported gold should be strictly saved for jewellery exporters using one-year Gold Metal Loans (GML).
- For Local Buyers: Domestic demand should be met entirely by recycling household gold. This gold would be collected from citizens, refined locally, and sold back through jewellers and retailers.
Under this plan, people who deposit their idle gold could earn 2% to 2.5% interest, while businesses taking gold loans would pay an interest rate of 3% to 4%.
Fixing Why Past Schemes Failed
Previous government gold schemes failed to gain traction primarily because they left out local jewellers and lacked a proper banking structure. Without a joined-up system, institutions faced high financial risks from changing gold prices.
To fix this, trade bodies are calling for a complete system that includes:
- Direct involvement of trusted local jewellers. The schemes did not take off in the past because jewellers were not part of them. About 10% to 20% of family gold is held as bars or coins.
- Strong bank backing and secure storage vaults across the country.
- Tax incentives, such as removing the 3% GST loss when physical gold is converted into Electronic Gold Receipts (EGR), and offering income tax relief on the interest earned.
Industry Support
Industry experts say a smooth system is already possible. Collection and purity testing centres have confirmed that collected household gold can be processed within 48 hours and safely moved to secure, bank-approved vaults.
Representatives from the Indian Bullion and Jewellers Association (IBJA) recently held discussions with RBI officials to fast-track these changes.
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