World Gold Council: 95% of central banks plan to increase their gold reserves in the next 12 months.

The World Gold Council stated that its "Central Bank Gold Reserves Survey 2025" set a new benchmark with a total of 73 responses received - the highest value since the survey was launched eight years ago. Such high participation strongly indicates that central banks around the world are increasing their focus on gold. The survey results show: 1. Central banks worldwide continue to have positive expectations for gold, with 95% of them believing that global central bank gold reserves will increase in the next 12 months. 2. A record-breaking 43% of central banks stated that their institution's gold reserves will also increase during the same period, with no one expecting a decrease in gold holdings. 3. The proportion of central banks actively managing gold reserves increased from 37% in 2024 to 44% in 2025, with the primary reason still being increased returns, but risk management surpassing tactical trading as the second largest motivator. 4. The Bank of England remains the most popular location for storing gold reserves, but the proportion of central banks choosing to store gold domestically increased from 41% in 2024 to 59% in 2025, with only 7% planning to increase domestic storage in the next 12 months. The performance of gold during times of crisis, its role in portfolio diversification, and its inflation-hedging properties are key factors driving central banks to plan to increase their gold holdings in the next year. These characteristics are also the core reasons why central banks strategically allocate gold.