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Appointment

Ronnie VanderLinden Appointed WDC President, Anoop Mehta Named VP

VanderLinden Stressed That The WDC’s Role Is To Help Build Confidence In Natural Diamonds and Support The Trade Globally

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The World Diamond Council (WDC) has appointed Ronnie VanderLinden as its new President and diamantaire Anoop Mehta, Convenor – Diamond Panel, GJEPC, as Vice President. VanderLinden succeeds Feriel Zerouki, who was named Honorary WDC President during the AGM.

Speaking at the WDC Annual General Meeting held on 7th May 2026 in Antwerp, Belgium, VanderLinden said:

“Global natural diamond industry must unite behind a clear and consistent narrative at a time of weaker demand, growing competition, and fragmented messaging. We must speak with one voice for natural diamonds.”

VanderLinden said, stressing that the WDC’s role is to help build confidence in natural diamonds and support the trade globally. VanderLinden emphasized that the industry needs to clearly communicate the value proposition of natural diamonds, particularly their contribution to producing nations and communities. According to him, provenance, responsible sourcing, and the positive socio-economic impact of diamond mining will remain central to the industry’s messaging strategy.

He also reaffirmed the importance of the Kimberley Process (KP) in safeguarding consumer confidence. VanderLinden said the WDC would continue efforts to update the definition of conflict diamonds so that it reflects the reality of today’s risks and strengthens confidence in natural diamonds.

Joining VanderLinden in the WDC leadership team is newly appointed Vice President Anoop Mehta, whom he described as “a pillar of both the Indian and global natural diamond trade.”

The AGM also saw David Bonaparte elected as Treasurer, while Udi Sheintal was re-elected as Secretary.

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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.

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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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