Share of gold in India's forex reserves doubles in four years, central bank report shows

The share of gold held by India's central bank in its foreign exchange reserves has doubled in the last four years as on March-end, a report by the Reserve Bank of India showed on Monday. In dollar value terms, the share of gold in the total foreign exchange reserves increased to about 11.70% by end-March, from 9.32% as at end-September 2024 and 5.87% as on end-March 2021, the central bank's half year forex reserves report said. As of end-March, the RBI held 879.59 metric tonnes of gold, compared to 854.73 metric tonnes at the end of September. The proportion of gold held domestically rose to 511.99 metric tonnes as of March 31, against 510.46 metric tonnes at September-end, the RBI said. "While 348.62 metric tonnes of gold were kept in safe custody with the Bank of England and the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), 18.98 metric tonnes were held in the form of gold deposits," the report showed. Central banks typically hold gold reserves to diversify their assets, enhance financial stability, and mitigate risks. Gold can act as a hedge against inflation and currency fluctuations. Central banks world over have stepped up purchases of gold amid volatility in global markets and currencies. Separately, the ratio of short-term debt to reserves, which was 19.1% at end-September 2024, increased to 22% at end-December, the RBI said. The ratio of volatile capital flows to reserves also increased to 74.3% at end-December 2024 from 67.8% at the end of the prior three months, it added.