IIFL Finance backs household-gold recycling to reduce India’s import dependence

IIFL Finance gold-loans head Mayank Sharma advocates organised recycling, exchange and financialisation of household gold. He says customer exchanges already meet close to 80% of demand at a leading jeweller, positioning gold loans, ETFs and digital gold as circulation tools.

— Source publishedMon, 21 Sept, 2026, 14:30 IST·First seen Mon, 21 Sept, 2026, 14:36 IST·Source The Hindu BusinessLine

What happened

IIFL Finance’s gold-loans head advocates organised household-gold recycling, exchange and financialisation to reduce India’s gold-import dependence. He cites

Key facts

  • Close to 80% of a leading gold jeweller's demand is met through customer exchanges of old gold

What changed

IIFL Finance’s gold-loans head advocates organised household-gold recycling, exchange and financialisation to reduce India’s gold-import dependence. He cites jeweller exchange demand and positions gold loans, ETFs and digital gold as ways to keep existing gold circulating.

Why this matters

IIFL Finance’s household-gold circulation thesis could support long-term gold-loan and organised-jewellery growth, though execution depends on consumer trust and scalable recycling infrastructure.

What to watch

  • Reported share of sales sourced through old-gold exchange at major jewellery chains.
  • Growth in formal gold recycling capacity, refinery throughput and hallmarking/assay infrastructure.
  • Indian gold import volumes and import-value trends relative to domestic gold prices.
  • Exchange bonus intensity and promotional spending from Titan/Tanishq, Kalyan, Malabar, Senco and regional chains.
  • RBI, BIS or government policy changes affecting gold loans, gold monetisation, recycled bullion standards or import duties.