Gold import duty hike to 15% squeezes jewellers near-term, hands organised players share

Government raised gold/silver import duties to 15% and capped imports at 100kg per licence with 50% export obligation. Analysts back Titan, Kalyan, Thangamayil and Senco as listed chains absorb costs better and gain from unorganised rivals. Volumes fell 19% YoY to 66 tonnes even as value demand rose 47% to ₹999bn on 81% gold price surge.

— Source publishedTue, 19 May, 2026, 15:55 IST·First seen Tue, 19 May, 2026, 16:04 IST·Source Mint · Markets

What happened

Titan · Government hiked gold/silver import duties to 15% and tightened import rules, pressuring jewellery stocks near-term but structurally favoring organised

Key facts

  • import duty raised 6% to 15%
  • gold imports capped 100 kg per licence
  • 50% export obligation
  • $71.98 billion gold import bill
  • $12 billion silver import bill
  • jewellery volumes -19% YoY to 66 tonnes
  • value demand +47% YoY to ₹999 billion
  • gold prices +81% YoY
  • Titan studded share ~35%
  • Titan -1.5% vs Kalyan -5.87% post May 13 hike
  • gold/silver prices +6-8%

Why this matters

Scout bolt-on acquisitions of sub-scale regional jewellers now while duty pressure and the 100kg licence cap compress their valuations, with export-obligation-ready supply chains as the key diligence filter.