World Gold Council: 95% of central banks expect gold reserves to rise in the next 12 months

The World Gold Council stated that its 2025 Central Bank Gold Reserve Survey set a new benchmark, receiving 73 responses - the highest since the survey was launched eight years ago. Such a high level of participation strongly indicates that the central bank's attention to gold is increasing. The survey results show that: 1. Central banks around the world continue to have positive expectations for gold, with 95% of central banks believing that global central bank gold reserves will increase in the next 12 months. A record breaking 43% of central banks stated that their institutions' gold reserves will also increase during the same period, and no one expects a decrease in gold holdings. The proportion of central banks actively managing gold reserves has increased from 37% in 2024 to 44% in 2025, with increasing returns still the main reason, but risk management has surpassed tactical trading and become the second largest motivation. 4. The Bank of England remains the most popular location for storing gold reserves (64%), but the proportion of central banks choosing to store gold domestically has 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 crisis periods, the diversification function of investment portfolios, and its anti inflation characteristics are key factors driving central banks around the world to plan to increase their holdings of gold in the coming year. These characteristics are also the core reasons for the central bank's strategic allocation of gold.