How much gold does the RBI hold in its vaults? Here's a sneak peak

Fri Oct 03 2025

The sharp rally in gold prices thus far in calendar year 2025 (up nearly 48) to around $3,896 levels has partly been fuelled by central bank purchases, geopolitical concerns and amid tariff-related uncertainty.

Gold, according to the World Gold Council (WGC) is an important component of central bank reserves given its safety, liquidity and return characteristics – the three key investment objectives for central banks.

As such, they are significant holders of gold, accounting for around a fifth of all the gold that has been mined throughout history, the WGC added.

According to their recent report, world official gold holdings of central banks stood at 36,359 tonnes in July 2025. Among countries, the United States topped the list of countries (in August 2025) holding the yellow metal at 8133.5 tonnes, followed by Germany (at 3350.3 tonnes), IMF (2,814 tonnes), Italy (2,451.8 tonnes) and France (2437 tonnes).

Meanwhile, central banks, WGC said, added a net 15 tonnes to global gold reserves in August, based on reported data from both the IMF and respective central banks. This, it said, was broadly in line with monthly net purchases between March and June, and signals a return to buying form.

The National Bank of Kazakhstan added 8 tonnes, the sixth consecutive month of buying. Its gold holdings now total 316 tonnes, 32 tonnes higher than at the end of 2024. Bulgarian National Bank gold reserves rose by 2 tonnes, the largest monthly increase since June 1997 (8 tonnes), to 43 tonnes.

The People's Bank of China, the WGC said, reported a 2 tonnes purchase, the tenth consecutive reported monthly increase in gold reserves. Total gold holdings have now crept past 2,300 tonnes, but still account for 7 per cent of total international reserves, according to the WGC.

Source: https://www.business-standard.com/