Appointment
Maryam Al Hashemi appointed 2026 Chair of the Kimberley Process Committee on Participation and Chairmanship
The Kimberley Process (KP) has announced the appointment of Maryam Al Hashemi as the 2026 Chair of its Committee on Participation and Chairmanship (CPC). A highly respected industry leader and KP veteran, Al Hashemi brings extensive expertise to this critical role. India will chair the KP in 2026, the third time it has chaired the body overall, with commitments to building consumer confidence, accelerating digital traceability and advancing data-driven compliance.
Currently serving as the Senior Director of Precious Stones and Metals at DMCC and the UAE KP Director, Al Hashemi has been instrumental in positioning Dubai as the world’s leading diamond trading hub. Under her leadership, Dubai’s rough and polished diamond trade has exceeded one billion carats in rough and polished over the past five years. She also oversees the Dubai Diamond Exchange (DDE), the world’s largest diamond trading platform with over 1,365 members, and spearheads key industry events such as the Dubai Diamond Conference and the Dubai Precious Metals Conference.
With a deep background in diamond trade regulation, Al Hashemi leads the only ISO-certified KP Office globally and has played a pivotal role in managing the UAE’s sole entry and exit point for rough diamonds. Her contributions to the UAE’s KP Vice Chairmanship in 2015, Chairmanship in 2016 and 2024, and her previous tenure as CPC Chair in 2017 highlight her wealth of experience in KP governance.
The CPC is a vital body within the Kimberley Process, responsible for evaluating new participants, reviewing compliance matters, and assessing Vice-Chair candidates. Its recommendations are presented at the KP Plenary meeting, ensuring the integrity of the certification scheme. As per KP protocol, the previous year’s KP Chair assumes the role of CPC Chair the following year.
Al Hashemi’s appointment underscores her long-standing commitment to strengthening the KP framework. Her leadership is expected to further reinforce the KP’s mission in promoting responsible diamond trade practices worldwide.
source:DMCC
Appointment
India Gold Metaverse Appoints ex-CEO Of Diamond India As MD Of Its Bullion Market Vertical BullionX™
Nirakar Chand to lead BullionX™ as IGM strengthens its vision for a technology-driven, integrated bullion market.
India Gold Metaverse (IGM) today announced the appointment of former CEO of Diamond India Ltd., Mr. Nirakar Chand, as the Managing Director of its bullion market vertical, BullionX™, which is a technology-enabled ecosystem for modern bullion markets.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Chand had spent 22 years at State Bank of India (SBI) — 6 years in Bullion and 16 years in Corporate Finance, Investment Banking and general management. After that, and prior to joining IGM, he was CEO for 16 years at Diamond India Ltd., a prominent nominated agency authorised for import and distribution of bullion, which mainly supported over 1,200 small and mid-sized exporters across the country.
With this nearly four decades of experience, Mr. Chand brings a strong understanding of bullion markets and the broader precious metals ecosystem, providing valuable industry insight and strategic vision that will further strengthen IGM’s position in the market.
In his new role, Mr. Chand will drive growth initiatives, industry engagement, and nationwide market development efforts at BullionX™, which delivers real-time spot and futures pricing, one-click buy/sell execution, comprehensive order management and integrated market intelligence for institutional traders, bullion dealers and large jewellers. Working on the IGM theme of ‘One Nation, One Market, One Price’, this inclusive market model provides a one-shot dashboard of demand/supply using an all-open API for online and offline bid & ask and offers many more features, including Gold TV as well as an Academy (for certification courses).
IGM combines blockchain, artificial intelligence, and cutting-edge financial market technologies across four proprietary pillars:
· Elanzia™: A digital metaverse uber tech platform of B2B & B2C for jewellers and bullion participants.
· RamMudra™: Blockchain-enabled digital gold, coins and GBST (Gold Backed Stable Token).
· GoldSense™: An AI-powered 1st Karat Check of Gold, that is, a purity verification engine (an AI-powered Digital Karatometer).
· BullionX™: An institutional trading infrastructure designed to enable efficient price discovery, liquidity and settlement.
With Indian households holding an estimated 25,000 tonnes of gold valued at approximately $2.4 trillion, IGM addresses the structural challenges of a largely unorganised market by bridging trust deficits, fragmented pricing, and limited digital adoption.
This key leadership appointment comes at a pivotal juncture as IGM accelerates its mission to build India’s first integrated digital infrastructure to formalise and redefine the nation’s gold and precious metals economy through an inclusive business model to empower the industry and make each participant an ‘emperor’.
Nirakar Chand, Managing Director – Bullion Market, IGM, said:

“I am delighted to join IGM, which has laid out an exceptionally visionary and timely blueprint to revolutionise the gold industry through transparency, digital accessibility, and robust institutional infrastructure. I look forward to working closely with the IGM management and our industry partners to unlock the true potential of our bullion markets and build an inclusive, trusted ecosystem that benefits every stakeholder.”
Welcoming him to the leadership team, Lamon Rutten, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, IGM, said:
“With his vast experience in the bullion market, Mr. Chand will be an invaluable addition to the IGM executive team. His profound domain expertise, deep-rooted relationships across the bullion industry, and operational mastery will provide tremendous impetus to IGM’s objectives. We look forward to his strategic leadership as we build a transformative, world-class market infrastructure.”

Backed by a visionary entrepreneur, who is the mentor & coach, along with prominent family offices and marquee investors, IGM is dedicated to formalising traditional markets and unlocking immense value for consumers, jewellers, institutional investors, and banks across India in the gold value system on the central theme of ‘Gold is Technology’. Recently, IGM concluded a very select Angel placement round, valuing the company at Rs 2,500 crore.
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