RBI Speeds Up Gold Repatriation: 64 Tonnes Brought Back in Last Six Months

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has stepped up the repatriation of its gold reserves, bringing home a total of 274 tonnes since March 2023, including about 64 tonnes in the six months leading up to September 2025. The move reflects growing caution amid global geopolitical tensions and increasing concerns about keeping sovereign assets overseas—particularly after the G7 nations froze the foreign reserves of Russia and Afghanistan.

By September 2025, the RBI’s total gold holdings reached 880.8 tonnes, with 575.8 tonnes now stored within India. This marks a clear effort to strengthen economic sovereignty and protect the nation’s wealth from potential financial sanctions or global instability.

The repatriation, combined with surging gold prices, has also raised gold’s share in India’s foreign exchange reserves to 13.9%, highlighting the central bank’s strategy of diversification and risk management in an increasingly uncertain global environment.

As of September 2025, India’s foreign currency assets, totaling $579.18 billion, were distributed across $489.54 billion in securities, $46.11 billion in deposits with other central banks and the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), and $43.53 billion in deposits with overseas commercial banks.

Earlier, as of March 31, the RBI held 879 tonnes of gold, with 512 tonnes stored domestically and 348.6 tonnes under custodial arrangements with the Bank of England and BIS. The RBI noted that a small portion of its reserves is managed by external asset managers to explore alternative investment strategies, all within the framework of the RBI Act, 1934.