

Retirement savings revamp: NPS now includes gold, silver ETFs
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) on Thursday allowed the National Pension System (NPS) to include gold and silver exchange-traded funds (ETFs) among its investment options. NPS subscribers can now invest in gold and silver ETFs offered by mutual funds, with exposure restricted to 5% of the scheme’s assets under management (AUM).
“Investors in the NPS have a better average investment tenure (holding period) compared to other investment avenues, and they would have a better investment mix now," said Sumit Shukla, managing director and chief executive of Axis Pension Fund. “Both old and new subscribers would benefit from the move." As of 11 December 2025, 24 karat gold has delivered a year-to-date return of 62%, from ₹7,800 per gramme, while silver is trading 98% higher than its 1 January price of ₹79,376 per kilogramme in the 2025 calendar year. “Restricting it to Sebi-regulated gold and silver ETFs and not other non-regulated means of investing in commodities ensures that there is legal recourse available in case of any complaints," said certified financial planner Kiran Telang.
Additionally, investments in physical commodities require back-end preparation, including stocking the gold in custodian vaults, insuring against risk, and hedging, which must be built over a period by pension fund managers. “As pension fund managers, we would have to build our expertise in directly investing in commodities. Until then, ETF investments have been permitted," Shukla said.
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