Reserve Bank Bolsters Gold Holdings Amid Rising Prices

The Reserve Bank increased its domestic gold holdings by 104.23 metric tonnes in six months ending March 2026, reaching a total of 880.52 MT. External storage includes gold with the Bank of England and BIS. Gold reserves' share of foreign exchange rose significantly due to precious metal price hikes.

The Reserve Bank has strategically boosted its domestic gold reserves by 104.23 metric tonnes in the six months leading up to March 2026, totaling 880.52 MT. The central bank's half-yearly report, released Thursday, highlights a noteworthy increase from the 880.18 MT reported in September 2025.

The report reveals that while a significant portion of the gold, 197.67 MT, is securely stored with the Bank of England and the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), a smaller quantity of 2.80 MT is held in gold deposits. As of March 2026, the domestic reserves have surged from 575.82 MT recorded last September to 290.37 MT.

Gold holdings' share of overall forex reserves experienced an uptrend, reaching 16.7% in March, up from 13.92% six months prior, leveraging rising precious metal prices. Notably, around USD 465.61 billion, from the total foreign currency assets of USD 552.28 billion, is invested in securities.