Mumbai— India’s gold reserves have surged past 880 metric tonnes in the first half of 2025–26, with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) adding another 0.2 metric tonnes in the last week of September. The total value of the reserves stood at an estimated USD 95 billion as of September 26, according to the central bank’s latest data.
The rising accumulation comes at a time when global economic and geopolitical uncertainties have driven investors and central banks worldwide toward gold — widely seen as a safe-haven asset.
Between April and September 2025, the RBI purchased a total of 0.6 metric tonnes (600 kilograms) of gold, including 0.2 metric tonnes in September and 0.4 metric tonnes in June. As a result, India’s total gold holdings rose to 880.18 metric tonnes at the end of September, compared to 879.58 metric tonnes at the close of the 2024–25 financial year.
During 2024–25, the RBI had made a substantial addition of 54.13 metric tonnes to its reserves. The central bank’s latest bulletin attributed the trend to rising global gold prices, driven by fears of economic slowdown and sustained purchases by institutional investors and central banks.
Globally, central banks collectively added 166 tonnes of gold to their official reserves in recent months, reflecting a wider strategy to diversify holdings and hedge against inflation and currency volatility.
Gold prices continued their upward trajectory through the third quarter of 2025, hitting an all-time high in September, buoyed by strong safe-haven demand and ongoing global uncertainty.
