2026 Central Bank Survey "Everyone's Buying Gold"

[00:00:01]Breaking news, record percentage of central banks expect gold reserves to increase over the next 12 months. This week as reported in Zero Hedge, the World Gold Council released a 2026 Central Bank Reserves Survey. Amongst the insights, here's the punchline, a record 45% of the respondents expect their own gold reserves will increase over the next 12 months. The question was, how do you expect your gold reserves to change over the next 12 months? 99% said it would be the same or higher with only 1% thinking their gold reserves would shrink. So, if the bankers to the banks are holding or increasing their gold reserves this year, what are you doing? Are you buying more gold this calendar year? I'd like to thank my channel sponsor Summit Metals. Right now, I'm on their auto invest program. I have a standing monthly order for fractional gold and silver eagles.

[00:01:06]Choose your metals, your frequency, and your coin shipped to your door. Link in the description below. Now, why is that important? Central banks have accumulated an average of 1,000 tons of gold over the past 4 years, up significantly from 500 ton average over the preceding decade. This measurable acceleration the pace of accumulation has occurred against a backdrop of increasing geopolitical and economic uncertainty, which has clouded the outlook for the Central Bank Reserve managers. The World Gold Council's 2026, the most recent year the Central Bank Gold Reserves Survey was conducted between February 5th of this year and May 19th, meaning the majority of the responses came after the start of the most recent Middle East conflict. And so this year's survey contains insights on how central bankers view gold in light of this ongoing geopolitical uncertainty and turmoil. The sample is highly representative of the overall central bank community both geographically and in terms of gold owned. The robust participation is a powerful signal of engagement with gold amongst the biggest holders of gold and that is central banks. So if you didn't know, when you look at all of the newly mined gold or newly recycled gold, central bank buyers buy 24% of the available gold that's sold in any given year. So collectively they are a whale and they're a big buyer and they the trend is your friend because they are buying and holding and buying year after year. Welcome to Silver Heist.

[00:03:02]Thank you to our returning subscribers and guest. If you like gold, silver or coin with a good story, please give this video a thumbs up and subscribe. So here are some of the key highlights. Similar to findings from previous surveys, central banks continue to hold favorable expectations on gold. Not only do 45% of the respondents believe that they are going to be buying more gold this year, the respondents overwhelmingly 89% believe that global central bank gold reserves will increase over the next 12 months. So 100% believe that gold reserves held by all of the banks combined are either going to stay the same or increase. So while 45% believe that their own gold holdings are going to increase this year. 89% believe the other guys gold holdings are going to increase this calendar year. So, not only do they see themselves buying gold, they see their peers buying gold. They see their neighbors buying gold. And so, they don't want to be left behind. So, this is where it gets interesting. Have you ever heard the phrase, "No one ever got fired for hiring IBM?" It's a classic business idiom meaning that choosing a safe, established, and reputable industry leader protects a decision-maker from blame. Even if a project fails, the choice is considered safe because everyone trusts that same vendor. The psychology behind it is all about risk aversion. And what is banking other than the risk aversion business?

[00:04:45]And the bankers to the bankers are also all about risk aversion. So, decision-makers like IT directors and CEOs and central bank managers often prioritize their own career safety.

[00:05:01]Picking an alternative, even if it's considered cheaper or technically superior, carries a personal risk of being blamed if something goes wrong.

[00:05:12]So, central bankers not only are buying more gold for their own banks, their perception is that everyone else is buying gold also. So, all of their peers are buying gold, all of their neighbors are buying gold, and so, they do not want to be seen not buying gold. And if that is making up 24% of all the gold buying in any given year, that is a giant gold whale that is price insensitive, that is has a ongoing appetite for more and more gold, and there are a bunch of them that even if one fell down, there's another one to step up and pick up the slack. So, this is another valuable insight. This year's survey asked respondents how they would fund their new gold purchases. Half of the respondents indicated through a domestic purchase program in their own local currency. With 38% indicating through selling existing reserve assets. So, like the biggest banks, you can either sell something in order to buy gold. You could sell silver, trade silver for gold. You could sell gold jewelry in order to buy gold coins.

[00:06:39]But, then the other way that you can fund future gold purchases is just by earning money and paying yourself first, and saving some of those newly formed dollars that you have, and putting them aside for your own gold.

[00:06:56]Now, the other interesting insight of these bankers is that they are beginning to move into the reasoning that if you don't hold it, you don't own it. Now, while the Bank of England remains the most popular vaulting location amongst the respondents at 57%, central banks continue to diversify their storage across multiple locations.

[00:07:22]Domestic storage came in a strong second at 49%.

[00:07:27]So, more and more central banks want to hold their own gold.

[00:07:34]And they are seeing the value of if you don't hold it, you don't own it.

[00:07:39]So, such as this, France had a large amount of gold being held at the Federal Reserve Bank in New York, and so they had 22 karat gold bars being held in New York. They sold off a lot of those bars in New York this calendar year, and then bought three nines fine or four nines fine gold in Europe, and they are storing that gold in France. So, they're holding their gold closer to where they live.

[00:08:13]So, if the World Gold Council called you and did a survey and asked you, "What are you doing with your gold reserves?

[00:08:20]Are you holding your gold? Are you adding more ounces to your gold reserves, or are you actually selling some of your gold?" Please give this video a thumbs up. Thanks for watching.