3 weeks ago
Digital Gold Could Unlock India's $5 Trillion Opportunity, Luniya Says
Gold is very important in India.
People buy gold as jewellery for festivals and weddings.
But most gold just sits inside lockers and does not work for anyone.
A businessman named Mahendra Luniya says we can make that gold useful by storing it digitally, like money in a bank app.
Digital gold lets people buy a tiny bit of gold for as little as ₹150.
You can keep saving small bits over time, just like a piggy bank app.
Later, you can use your digital gold to buy real jewellery for a wedding.
There is even a special receipt that lets gold move from a computer account to a jewellery shop.
Luniya says this can help India use its gold instead of importing so much new gold every year.
It is like turning a sleeping treasure into a helpful tool for the whole country.
Mahendra Luniya says digitising India's household gold could unlock the country's $5 trillion economic opportunity.
He made the case on the Simple Hai! podcast hosted by veteran business journalist Vivek Law.
With gold around ₹1.5 lakh per 10 grams, digital platforms let investors buy gold for as little as ₹150.
Luniya highlighted Electronic Gold Receipts as a promising instrument connecting demat accounts to jewellers.
He called India's privately held gold a 'sleeping asset' whose activation could reduce imports and release liquidity.
- Who
- Mahendra Luniya, Founder Chairman of Vighnaharta Gold Ltd, speaking to journalist Vivek Law on the Simple Hai! podcast
- What
- Argued that digitising gold ownership, including through Electronic Gold Receipts, can unlock liquidity from India's idle household gold
- Where
- India, where household gold is widely held and could support the broader economy
- When
- Not specified in the article
- Why
- To turn a 'sleeping asset' into a productive financial one, reduce import dependence and strengthen India's financial resilience
Key facts
- Speaker
- Mahendra Luniya, Founder Chairman, Vighnaharta Gold Ltd
- Platform
- Simple Hai! podcast, hosted by Vivek Law
- Gold price reference
- Around ₹1.5 lakh per 10 grams
- Minimum digital purchase
- As little as ₹150
- Key instrument
- Electronic Gold Receipt (EGR), backed by physical gold in regulated vaults
- India's gold imports
- Hundreds of tonnes annually
- Quality standardisation
- BIS hallmarking and digital verification
- Historical references
- US gold policies in the Great Depression; India's gold pledge in the 1991 crisis
Quotes
Mahendra Luniya
Founder‑Chairman of Vighnaharta Gold Ltd
“"You can now buy gold for as little as ₹150," adding that digital ownership makes regular investing possible, much like a systematic investment plan (SIP).”
freepressjournal.in
“"Shares moved from paper certificates to demat accounts. Cash moved from wallets to UPI. Gold is now following the same path."”
freepressjournal.in







