World Gold Council sees Gen Z as catalyst for India’s gold jewellery market overhaul
The World Gold Council says Gen Z’s demand for digital, liquid and personalised gold can reshape India’s jewellery ecosystem. Its recommendations include interoperable gold monetisation and recycling systems, digital infrastructure, a National Gold Board and a Gold Innovation Centre.
What happened
World Gold Council says Gen Z’s preference for digital, liquid and personalised gold products could modernise India’s jewellery ecosystem. Its report calls for
Key facts
- 31,000 tonnes of household gold
- Rs 315 lakh crore estimated value of idle household gold
- Rs 314.9 lakh crore ($3.4 trillion) household gold holdings
- Nearly $2 trillion in Gen Z consumer spending by 2035
- Rs 4.5 lakh crore India gold jewellery market value in 2025
Why this matters
Jewellers, fintechs and bullion players should pursue partnerships around interoperable gold monetisation, digital infrastructure and recycling as policy support for a modernised ecosystem builds.
What to watch
- Creation, mandate or funding of a National Gold Board or Gold Innovation Centre.
- Regulatory action defining permitted digital-gold structures, custody requirements and consumer-protection standards.
- Launch of interoperable digital gold wallets or standardised gold ownership certificates accepted across retailers.
- Growth in branded jewellers' revenue from exchange, remodelling, gold-savings and buyback programmes.
- Changes in the organised sector's share of India's jewellery market and hallmarking compliance rates.
- Gold-price volatility: sustained high prices would accelerate lightweight designs, recycling and fractional ownership.
- Bank, UPI or major fintech integration with regulated gold accumulation and redemption products.
- Consumer evidence that Gen Z values resale transparency, personalisation and digital records more than traditional high-weight wedding jewellery.
- Major jewellery chains will expand app-based gold savings, digital catalogues, transparent exchange calculators and guaranteed buyback programmes.
- Jewellers will push lightweight, modular, customisable and gender-neutral collections designed for lower-ticket, repeat Gen Z purchases.
- Fintechs, bullion dealers and jewellers will seek partnerships around insured custody, fractional ownership, digital certificates and jewellery redemption.
- Industry bodies will lobby for common standards for purity verification, recycling, digital gold records, taxation and inter-platform transferability.
- Organised retailers will invest in reverse logistics, old-gold collection and refinery partnerships because recycled gold can improve supply resilience and margins.
- Smaller independent jewellers will adopt certification, CRM and marketplace integrations or risk losing younger customers to trusted branded networks.