Established positions for serious portfolios
Central banks bought 1,045 tonnes of gold in 2024 — the third year running above 1,000 tonnes. UK retail investors hold almost none. World Gold Council, 2024.
The gap
Family offices — the people who manage the wealth of the wealthiest — hold gold. The average UK retail investor doesn’t.
Average global family office
Allocation to gold and precious metals across 317 family offices managing an average $1.1bn AUM. UBS Global Family Office Report, 2025.
Average UK retail investor
Bullion sits outside FCA-regulated investment data; the Royal Mint’s 47% bullion sales jump in 2024 starts from a low base. Royal Mint Trading Fund Annual Report, 2024–25.
What changed
None of them are dramatic on the day. Together they have reset how the world’s reserves are built.
Three consecutive years of over 1,000 tonnes of net official-sector buying. Poland, Turkey, India and China lead the table. The pace has not eased through 2025. WGC Full Year 2025.
The US dollar fell to 57.4% of global official reserves — the lowest share since 1994. The slack has been picked up by other currencies and gold. IMF COFER, Oct 2025.
Royal Mint bullion revenue rose 47% in 2024 from a small base. UK households still hold the bulk of their financial assets in cash, equities and pensions — gold sits well below 1% of the average sheet. Royal Mint Trading Fund, 2024–25.
The numbers
1,045t
Central bank gold buying, 2024 — the third year above 1,000 tonnes. WGC.
43%
Of central banks expect their own gold reserves to rise over the next 12 months — a record. WGC CBGR Survey 2025.
$555bn
Global gold market value in 2025, an all-time record (+45% y/y). WGC Full Year 2025.
+60%
Gold’s return in 2025 (LBMA PM, year-to-28-November). WGC Gold Market Commentary, Dec 2025.
The obvious objection
“But gold pays no yield.”
Correct. Neither does cash in real terms once you net inflation. Gold is held for what it is — a reserve asset uncorrelated to equities, sovereign debt, and the currency it’s priced in. The case for owning it is not the coupon; it is the absence of counterparty risk in the room where every other asset has one. Sized properly — typically 5–10% — it reduces portfolio drawdowns without dragging long-run return.
What the call covers
Who you’ll speak with
Senior Advisory ·
Two decades advising UK private clients on allocation across gold, precious metals and alternative assets — bullion, listed metals ETFs, SIPP-eligible structures, and physical custody. Previously private banking and discretionary wealth advisory in the City. Based in London.
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Tell us a little about your position. We’ll come back within one working day with two time slots.