



Gold loans are not ‘easy money’ in a volatile market
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Driven by soaring global prices and across-the-table lending, the gold loan market has exploded, expanding almost 4 times in just four years. This surge has made gold loans the second-largest retail credit category in India, according to the Gold Loan Landscape Report by TransUnion Cibil in April 2026.
With a total stock of ₹16 trillion, gold loans trail only housing loans.Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka lead in gold loan origination, as per the report.Given this, the increase in ticket sizes and higher borrowing capacity, stress signals are starting to emerge. While gold loans have become popular, they could also turn out to be a liability for households, given the risk of margin calls when the value of gold depreciates.Based on the report, for gold loans taken in the first half of 2025, overall delinquency was 1.1%.
The stress is notably higher among large-ticket borrowers, with gold loans exceeding ₹2.5 lakh, as they have a delinquency rate of 1.5%. This is more than double the 0.7% rate seen in those with smaller loans.
The story explores some of the risks embedded in gold loans and why you need to be cautious.The primary catalyst behind the gold loan explosion is the spike in the price of the underlying asset. Since March 2023, gold valuations have doubled, expanding the borrowing capacity of Indian households.
Bloomberg data on the MCX Gold Index displays that gold prices rose 57% since May 2025, reaching a high of ₹1,76,306 in January 2026. This appreciation has enabled existing borrowers to leverage the same ornaments for significantly higher credit limits.Bhavesh Jain, MD and CEO of TransUnion Cibil, explains the correlation: “One of the critical factors driving gold
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