Sipu Jha
Betting big on gold as a reserve asset, central banks around the world have ramped up their gold reserves in the third quarter of the ongoing calendar year 2025. Gold is traditionally seen as a safe haven asset and its rally in the last year has majorly been driven by central banks stepping up their purchases.Central banks worldwide increased their gold acquisitions during the third quarter of this year, with a net addition of 220 tonnes, which is a 28% rise from last quarter, according to the World Gold Council’s (WGC) latest Gold Demand Trends Q3 2025 report quoted by ET.The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has added approximately 600 kilos of gold to its reserves between April and September this year, with total gold reserves reaching 880 tonnes by the final week of September.
Gold purchased by central banks
The gold acquisitions for the quarter ending September 30 showed a 10% increase year-on-year, compared to 199.5 tonnes acquired during the corresponding period last year. This uptick follows two successive quarters of decreased purchases, demonstrating central banks’ ongoing strategic commitment to gold despite its unprecedented price levels.Central bank gold acquisitions reached 634 tonnes in the current year through September, showing a modest decline compared to 724 tonnes purchased during the first nine months of 2024.Digital gold investments, including exchange traded funds and comparable instruments, witnessed substantial growth, reaching 221 tonnes, marking a 134% increase year-on-year and a 30% rise from the previous quarter.According to the findings, the National Bank of Kazakhstan emerged as the leading purchaser in the third quarter, acquiring 18 tonnes, with the Central Bank of Brazil following closely behind at 15 tonnes, marking its first purchase since 2021. The WGC reports that 66% of third-quarter central bank acquisitions remain undisclosed, a pattern that has persisted since 2022.
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