[REVISION HISTORY]
Gold demand up, China imports surge, central banks buying
Updated 1 time since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.
What changed
2026-07-25 19:50 UTC → 2026-07-26 23:31 UTC ·
added
removed
Gold demand rises, up, China imports surge, Tether ADGM OK central banks buying
Gold prices stayed have remained volatile after since the January 2026 peak of $5,405 per ounce, while global demand remained stays above 5,000 t, reinforcing gold’s underscoring the metal’s hedge role. function. Central banks continued a their record‑pace build‑up, with accumulation, purchasing a combined 244 t in the first quarter of 2026. The most active buyers were Poland, China, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and the Czech Republic, which cite diversification away from the US dollar and protection against geopolitical and inflationary risks. This adds to the earlier trend where 45 % planning of central banks planned further increases and net purchases averaging averaged about 1,000 t annually. Poland and China led buying; China’s reserves now total roughly 2,300 t and its new Shanghai‑Hong Kong clearing system can process over 2,000 t. Chinese banks shifted retail customers toward physical gold, supporting yuan internationalisation. In the private sector, Singapore’s Vault@268 expanded its biometric vaults and Tether disclosed about roughly 154 t of physical gold backing its XAUT token, covering 54 % of the market. Tether became the world’s largest gold buyer in 2025, surpassing any nation, and stored with the metal in a former Swiss nuclear bunker. The Abu Dhabi Global Market formally recognised recognising XAU₮ as an Accepted Spot Commodity, allowing ADGM‑licensed firms to offer the token under the UAE’s emerging regulatory framework. Meanwhile, Commodity. China’s gold imports jumped to 173 t in June 2026 – the highest monthly flow since March 2024 – pushing lifting first‑half‑2026 imports to about around 820 t, roughly double a year earlier. the previous year’s level. The surge was driven by retail investors buying the price dip, banks restocking inventories and strong inflows to gold‑backed ETFs, with aided by a softer international prices, price, a stronger yuan and import‑quota usage cited as additional factors. quota utilisation. Meanwhile, analysts note that heightened investor leverage, spurred by AI‑driven optimism, raises the risk of sudden market corrections should a shock occur.
Versions
- 2026-07-26 23:31 UTC Gold demand up, China imports surge, central banks buying
- 2026-07-25 19:50 UTC Gold demand rises, China imports surge, Tether ADGM OK
Only revisions since CLSTR began indexing content versions appear here. Select a version to see what changed compared to the one before it.