National News
Augmont Strengthens ‘Recycle With Resilience’ Campaign To Promote Transparent Gold Recycling Across India
With 114 Gold For All Stores Currently Operational, The Company Is Creating Accessible Touchpoints for Consumers To Evaluate, Recycle, and Monetise Their Gold Through Transparent and Organised Channels
Augmont, India’s leading gold platform, has launched the next phase of its “Recycle with Resilience” campaign to encourage consumers to unlock greater value from their dormant gold through organised and transparent recycling channels.
As part of the initiative, Augmont has introduced its AI-powered Gold Purity Evaluation Machine in Chennai to help address one of the key concerns consumers face while recycling gold, which is the lack of transparency in purity assessment and valuation. The initiative aims to build trust and encourage wider participation in organised gold recycling.
Gold recycling continues to gain momentum in India. While the country imported approximately $72.4 billion worth of gold in FY26, recycled gold contributed an estimated 125–150 tonnes in 2025 and is expected to increase to 200–250 tonnes in 2026. With household gold reserves estimated at nearly 30,000 tonnes, organised recycling presents a significant opportunity to improve resource efficiency and reduce reliance on imports.
Augmont is further enabling consumer participation in gold recycling through its growing network of Gold For All Centres across multiple states. With 114 Gold For All stores currently operational, the company is creating accessible touchpoints for consumers to evaluate, recycle, and monetise their gold through transparent and organised channels. Over the coming months, Augmont plans to expand this network further to enable greater recycling of old gold and make the process more convenient and accessible for consumers across key markets.
Commenting on the campaign, Ketan Kothari, Whole-Time Director, Augmont, said:

“India has one of the largest household gold reserves globally, yet a significant portion remains idle. Through our ‘Recycle with Resilience’ campaign, we aim to encourage consumers to view gold not just as an asset to store, but as a resource that can be responsibly brought back into the ecosystem.
Transparency remains central to increasing consumer confidence in gold recycling. By leveraging technology-led purity evaluation and enabling fair valuation, we aim to make organised gold recycling more accessible, trusted and consumer-friendly. Through our expanding Gold For All Centre network and technology-enabled infrastructure, we are committed to creating a seamless recycling experience for consumers across the country.”
Over the next 12 months, Augmont plans to expand technology-enabled gold appraisal centres across select markets while continuing consumer education efforts around the economic and environmental benefits of gold recycling.
Through this campaign, Augmont aims to strengthen confidence in organized gold recycling and contribute towards building a more efficient and self-reliant gold ecosystem in India.
National News
Smuggled Gold Distorting India’s Bullion Market
Sharp Rise In Smuggled Gold, Driven Largely By The May 2026 Hike In Import Duty To 15%, Which Has Made The Grey Market Significantly Cheaper Than Legal Channels and Squeezed Legitimate Dealers and Jewellers
India’s bullion market is being skewed by a sharp rise in smuggled gold, driven largely by the May 2026 hike in import duty to 15%, which has made the grey market significantly cheaper than legal channels and squeezed legitimate dealers and jewellers.
Market distortion and price gap
- Smuggled gold is now selling at discounts of up to Rs 8,000 per 10 grams compared with official prices, creating a wide arbitrage that undercuts compliant traders.
- Industry executives warn that this price gap is a clear signal of an active grey market, disadvantaging genuine bullion dealers and organised jewellers who pay full duty and taxes.
Scale of illegal inflows
- Industry estimates suggest more than 100 tonnes of gold could enter India through illegal channels in 2026, echoing past surges in smuggling after earlier duty hikes.
- Despite the higher tariff, India’s gold import bill rose 24% to a record $71.9 billion in FY26, even as physical volumes fell to about 721 tonnes, indicating persistent demand being met partly via unofficial routes.
Enforcement response
- Revenue intelligence agencies, particularly the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), have intensified operations against organised smuggling networks using airports, land borders, coastal routes and domestic road transport
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