Over the last 16 years, central banks worldwide have escalated their gold acquisitions, with 2025 marking the purchase of 863 tons. This rising trend in gold buying suggests a significant shift as annual figures in previous years consistently exceeded the 1,000-ton mark, indicating a robust demand that is only intensifying into 2026.
Why is gold uptake accelerating?
The acceleration in gold acquisition stems from several geopolitical and economic challenges. One notable event was the reserves crisis in 2022, which compelled central banks to recognize the precarious position of foreign currency reserves. The freeze of around $300 billion of Russia’s reserves by the G7, EU, and Australia highlighted the susceptible nature of reserves held within Western institutions, prompting a strategic reassessment towards diversification.
Holding physical gold domestically minimizes exposure to the counterparty risk inherent in foreign banks. The World Gold Council’s 2025 survey indicates that gold’s appeal remains undiminished, with a resounding majority of reserve managers foreseeing an upward trajectory in gold reserves. Specifically, 95% of respondents anticipate an increase in global gold assets.
How are gold prices responding to heightened demand?
Gold’s worldwide demand exceeded 5,000 tons in 2025, pushing its market value to over $555 billion. As a result, the average price reached an unprecedented $3,431 per ounce and continued to peak beyond $5,000 by January 2026. This surge in price underscores the fervent demand for gold across global markets.
Leading the race in gold accumulation for the second consecutive year is Poland’s Central Bank, closely followed by Kazakhstan, Brazil, Turkey, China, and the Czech Republic. Noteworthy are Turkey’s sustained purchases over 28 months and China’s consistent 17-month growth in official gold holdings.
Physical gold stands out with a unique quality: domestically held gold is independent from foreign institutions, immune to political sanctions, and free from counterparty risk. In the 2025 survey, central bank reserve managers ranked crisis-period performance, diversification, inflation hedging, value preservation, and the absence of counterparty risk as the top criteria for their strong gold preference.
As limitations in physical gold supply persist, technological innovations like blockchain are set to expand accessibility. Tokenized gold offers digital tokens backed by actual gold, allowing more investors, especially within decentralized finance (DeFi), to partake in this valuable asset class.
In 2025 alone, the market for tokenized gold surged by 360%. Companies like Techemynt are paving ways by combining traditional gold’s reliability with cryptocurrencies’ adaptability, facilitating easy trading on platforms such as Ethereum and Polygon without the complexities of physical gold management.
Industry projections highlight that the total value of tokenized real-world assets could soar to $18.9 trillion by 2033. More conservative estimates from firms like McKinsey suggest a growth to $2 trillion by 2030, yet all forecasts agree on significant potential in this rapidly expanding sector.
Techemynt also offers NZDS, a stablecoin tied to the New Zealand Dollar, and SilverNZ tokens, allowing seamless transitions across gold, silver, and stablecoins. These offerings are backed by stringent regulatory checks as New Zealand’s Financial Service Provider, underscoring a new era of diversified investment avenues.
