The Royal Mint reports record-breaking demand for precious metals in FY25/26

The Royal Mint has reported a record-breaking fourth quarter and financial year for its Precious Metals Investments business, with transaction volumes, customer growth and bullion demand all reaching new highs.

Online precious metals transactions on royalmint.com increased 130% in Q4 (January – March) compared to the same quarter in the previous financial year, as investors increasingly turned to precious metals amid inflation concerns and fears of a potential stock market correction.

The milestone quarter capped the busiest financial year on record for The Royal Mint’s online precious metals investment platform, with the total number of purchasing customers rising 80% year-on-year in Q4. Across the full 2025/26 financial year, the number of customers buying and selling bullion through royalmint.com increased 49% compared to 2024/25.

Demand for Capital Gains Tax (CGT)-exempt bullion coins rose significantly during the year, with sales up 94% year-on-year as investors sought more tax-efficient routes into precious metals investment.

The Royal Mint also reported strong growth in its DigiGold range, its VAT-free digital precious metals offering, which accounted for 54% of all transactions during the quarter. Activity peaked at the end of January and March as investors reacted to movements in the gold price.

Silver emerged as one of the standout performers of the quarter. Sales increased by more than 1,000% compared to Q4 2024/25, while the value of silver sold back to The Royal Mint rose 3,300% over the same period. Despite sharp price volatility during the quarter, customer sentiment remained positive, with investors purchasing two ounces of silver for every ounce sold back.

Gold also reached a historic milestone during the quarter, surpassing £4,000 ($5,000) per ounce for the first time.

“The figures for the last financial year show a fundamental shift in how investors are thinking about their portfolios. Precious metals are increasingly being seen as an essential hedge against inflation and potential stock market volatility, and that conviction is driving record numbers of new and existing customers to The Royal Mint.

“Momentum continued strongly into Q4, with gold surging above £4,000 ($5,000) for the first time ever – a genuinely historic milestone that has captured widespread attention. But while the recent retracement in prices appears to be a result of short-term interest rate expectations, our customers are taking a longer-term view. They’re diversifying into precious metals as a hedge against inflation and a potential stock market correction, and many are doing so in a tax-efficient way through CGT-exempt UK bullion coins.

“The scale of silver’s moves this quarter might have deterred some investors, but our data tells a different story. Customers bought twice as much silver as they sold back, which tells you that confidence in the metal’s fundamentals remains very much intact.”

Stuart O’Reilly, Private Wealth Consultant at The Royal Mint

The Royal Mint said that 60% of all customers during the financial year were entirely new to the business, with more new customers acquired in Q4 than in any previous quarter in the history of its Precious Metals Investments division.