India's household gold stockpile, which is estimated at around 25,000 tonnes, has quietly emerged as one of the country's most important macroeconomic shock absorbers, offering support to currency stability, financial resilience, and consumption at a time of global uncertainty.
India now needs a comprehensive policy on gold to clearly define whether gold should be treated as a commodity or money, and how customers should perceive it, stated a report by State Bank of India (SBI).
Over the past decade, the organized gold loan market has seen steady growth, with the total assets under management (AUM) rising by 12 per cent annually to reach approximately Rs 6.2 trillion as of March 2023.