RBI denies gold sale rumours; holds 880.52 tonnes

Debunking reports of gold sale, the Reserve Bank of India on Wednesday said there is no change in the physical stock of gold, which remains unchanged at 880.52 tonnes.

The clarification from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) comes following reports that the RBI may have sold gold amounting to approximately USD 12 billion to shield its foreign-currency reserves from the impact of the ongoing conflict in West Asia.

RBI emphasises that these reports are not correct,” the central bank said in a statement.

Members of the public are, therefore, advised to rely on official information published by the RBI from time to time in such matters, it said.

According to RBI, the share of gold in India’s foreign exchange reserves rose from 13.92 per cent at the end of September 2025 to 16.70 per cent on March 31, 2026, and further to 16.85 per cent as of May 22, 2026, it said.

As on March 31, 2026, total gold held by the Reserve Bank was 880.52 metric tonnes as compared to 879.58 metric tonnes as on March 31, 2025, an increase of 0.94 metric tonnes of gold in the year.

“Of the 880.52 metric tonnes, 312.32 metric tonnes of gold is held as an asset of the Issue Department as compared to 311.38 metric tonnes as on March 31, 2025,” RBI in its latest annual report said. The remaining 568.20 metric tonnes, same as on March 31, 2025, is treated as an asset of the Banking Department, it said.

“The value of gold (including gold deposits) held as an asset of the Banking Department increased by 63.6 per cent from Rs 4,31,624.80 crore as on March 31, 2025, to Rs 7,06,162.36 crore as on March 31, 2026.”