Plus Gold Strikes 400% MoM Growth

India’s affinity for gold jewellery has been well-known for ages. However, the recent spike in gold prices reduced the country’s consumption to 562.2 tonnes in 2023, a 6.39% dip from 600.6 tonnes of gold as jewellery in 2022, according to the World Gold Council. On the other hand, China raced to the top last year, consuming 630.2 tonnes of gold as jewellery.

But away from the discretionary purchase of jewellery, this precious metal is rapidly gaining traction in India as an asset class. There has been an upsurge in the consumption of bullion (bars, coins and ingots) and investments in sovereign gold bonds (SGBs) since 2022. In fact, the December quarter (Q3 FY24) saw a record rise in SGB investments, reaching 12.1 tonnes at a little over INR 7.5K Cr.

In contrast, investing through legacy banks/FIs can be cumbersome. It requires a lump sum down payment equivalent to the gold value, has stringent upper limits and long lock-in periods (a minimum of five years). Moreover, returns are pretty low, an annual interest rate of 2.5% in case of sovereign gold bonds issued by the RBI.

Private jewellers offer EMI-based gold-buying schemes, but these also lack flexibility. One can only buy from a specific jeweller instead of browsing through a varied marketplace and may have to pay exorbitant prices. Also, missing a single EMI may lead to the forfeiture of the benefits accrued.

According to investment professionals, a high-value commodity like gold needs staggered buying to avoid short-term volatility. Gold gains can only boom when buyers have the much-needed flexibility to choose their timing and price. Otherwise, it will invariably turn into a lead weight in one’s portfolio.

Plus Gold and its ilk are offering small-time gold investors that rare opportunity to choose their product, price and pace. Hence, it should be a win-win for the gold savings fintech, its users and jeweller partners in the long run.