India’s gold share in forex reserves climbs to 16.7%

India’s gold share in foreign exchange reserves rose to 16.7% at end-March 2026 from 13.92% at end-September 2025, the Reserve Bank of India said in its half-yearly reserves management report. The increase mainly reflects a rise in the value of gold in reserves while overall FX reserves slipped to $691.11 billion from $700.09 billion six months earlier. RBI held 880.52 metric tonnes of gold at end-March, with 680.05 tonnes (over two-thirds) now stored domestically after a multi-year repatriation effort. The shift underscores central-bank diversification into bullion and is a supportive datapoint for gold demand and prices, though the report is descriptive rather than signalling an immediate policy change.