Retail News CRM

Tag: precious metals

  • Tanaka and MEP Form Venture for Malaysian Precious Metal Recycling Plant

    Tanaka and MEP Form Venture for Malaysian Precious Metal Recycling Plant

    Japan’s Tanaka Precious Metal Group has partnered with Malaysian recycler MEP this month to construct a precious metal recycling facility in Malaysia.

    Operating under the venture Tanaka MEP Refinery, the site aims to launch commercial operations in April 2029 to supply gold and other metals to the semiconductor industry.

    The plant will extract high-value materials from scrap generated during the fabrication of semiconductors and electronic components.

    Sourcing Metal from Electronic Scrap

    Tanaka MEP Refinery plans to process manufacturing waste directly from regional semiconductor and electronics assemblers. Recovered gold will feed back into the component supply chain, giving chipmakers a regional source of raw material.

    Production of microelectronics demands steady volumes of high-purity precious metals for bonding wires and plating. By processing scrap locally in Southeast Asia, the venture intends to reduce transit times and shipping costs associated with returning scrap to smelters in East Asia.

    Supply Security for Regional Foundries

    Packaging and testing facilities across Malaysia handle a substantial share of global semiconductor back-end assembly. Securing precious metal feedstock close to these assembly lines offers chipmakers tighter control over material inventories.

    Competition for high-grade scrap will test the new venture. Competing smelters across Japan already purchase industrial e-scrap from Malaysian factories, leaving Tanaka MEP Refinery to secure reliable collection contracts with local manufacturers before the plant starts up.

    Expanding Southeast Asian Operations

    Industrial demand for localized recycling grew as manufacturers expanded assembly footprints over the past decade. Tanaka previously handled recovery primarily through plants in East Asia before deciding to build refining capacity in Malaysia.

    Commercial operations are targeted to start in April 2029, with construction timelines and plant capacity metrics to be determined as facility development begins.

  • Vietnam Gold Prices Slip as SJC Bars Fall to VND143.3 Million

    Vietnam Gold Prices Slip as SJC Bars Fall to VND143.3 Million

    Saigon Jewelry Company lowered its gold bar price by 0.69 percent to VND143.3 million ($5,533.89) per tael on Wednesday morning in Ho Chi Minh City. Gold rings matched the downward step, falling at an identical rate to VND142.8 million per tael as local buyers pulled back from recent highs.

    One tael equals 37.5 grams or roughly 1.2 troy ounces. The drop breaks a multi-session run of elevated domestic retail trading across Vietnamese counters, where retail premiums over international benchmarks have remained wide throughout October.

    Global bullion rates stayed largely steady while the Vietnamese retail market retreated. Spot gold held at $4,165.25 per ounce during early trading hours, while United States gold futures for December delivery added 0.3 percent to reach $4,188.70 per ounce. Front-month Comex gold contracts for October delivery had earlier settled down 0.31 percent, losing $12.90 to finish at $4,152.90 per troy ounce.

    Domestic Margins Under Pressure

    Physical jewelry retail outlets and licensed bullion desks in Vietnam face shifting spreads between raw bar costs and processed jewelry items. With plain rings settling at VND142.8 million per tael, the narrow difference between bars and rings reflects cautious retail sentiment rather than aggressive speculative buying.

    Consumer demand across Asian retail markets often contracts when bullion tests higher price bands. Retail jewelers that built inventory at higher rates earlier in the year now manage tighter inventory turns as shoppers delay major purchases ahead of festival seasons.

    Local currency swings add friction to retail gold trading desks. Even minor fluctuations in the Vietnamese dong alter the import parity calculation for authorized bullion distributors, forcing daily adjustments across shop counters in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

    Global Rates and Macro Pressures

    International traders kept metal prices in a narrow corridor as financial markets prepared for fresh United States consumer price index data. Precious metals analysts note that wider macro trends continue to limit sharp directional swings in bullion trade.

    “What we’re looking at here is not a big move, it’s within a range. But the fact that we are able to hold ⁠a range while oil is rallying suggests that gold is trying to find a reason to rally,” said Ilya Spivak, head of global macro at Tastylive.

    Alternative safe-haven assets and yield benchmarks maintain pressure on non-yielding physical commodities. The United States Dollar Index traded near 102.4, while 10-year Treasury yields held near 5.23 percent, keeping holding costs for bullion elevated across international trading books. Silver tracked the broader commodities pullback, dropping 1.6 percent to $59.161 per troy ounce.

    Retail Trends Across Regional Counters

    Shifting pricing dynamics across Southeast Asian physical markets highlight how domestic demand patterns diverge from paper contracts. When domestic spot rates drop by nearly one percent in a single morning, local buyers frequently hold cash rather than accumulating inventory.

    Jewelry chain operators must navigate higher financing costs for store stock while counter traffic remains sensitive to ticket prices. Retail groups that expanded their retail store footprints during previous commodity rallies face higher working capital requirements to keep display cases fully stocked.

    Merchant margins on standard gold rings remain thin compared to high-margin fashion jewelry lines. When retail buyers focus exclusively on investment rings and standardized bars, overall retail operating margins compress across regional retail networks.

    Data Releases Dictate Near Term Levels

    Vietnam gold prices previously gained ground earlier in the week before Tuesday morning trading brought an initial dip. That volatility followed mixed sessions where global bullion swung between minor gains and losses without establishing a clear trend.

    Earlier quarterly trading saw major producers realizing prices between $4,400 and $4,500 an ounce before global rates adjusted into the current $4,150 to $4,200 band. The ongoing consolidation test shows physical retail buyers adjusting to a structurally higher baseline price environment.

    Market participants across Asian trading desks now track the release of United States producer price index data and upcoming retail sales reports for monetary policy signals.

  • At Least 12 Chinese Banks to End Retail Used Precious-Metals Trading

    At Least 12 Chinese Banks to End Retail Used Precious-Metals Trading

    At least a dozen Chinese banks intend to wind down retail used precious-metals trading following directives from the Shanghai Gold Exchange, ending a practice where everyday investors post margin deposits to speculate on gold and silver contracts without owning physical metal.

    Sources at two lenders, including Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, confirmed the retreat was mandated by the exchange amid sharp swings in international gold prices.

    Exchange Mandate Halts Retail Exposure

    Beijing-based China Everbright Bank said on Friday that it would phase out retail used precious-metals trading for gold and silver after October 19, following a comparable notice from Shanghai Pudong Development Bank earlier this month.

    For almost twenty years, domestic banks allowed retail investors to open precious-metals positions using margin ratios aligned with the Shanghai Gold Exchange. That setup granted individual accounts between five-fold and six-fold use. The current directive instructs lenders to shut these channels completely, pushing individual clients toward physical purchases and fixed-price accumulation plans.

    Regulators Eliminate Speculative use

    Market turbulence in precious metals forced commercial banks to tighten trading rules throughout the past year. By the end of the first quarter, state-owned lenders had raised margin requirements for retail precious-metals contracts to 100 percent. That step removed operational use before the formal shutdown.

    Orient Futures analyst Xu Ying said: “This represents an inevitable shift, and I anticipate that all the lenders will eventually exit the business.”

    Shifting Retail Capital Into Physical Bars

    The forced wind-down alters precious-metals distribution across mainland China. Commercial lenders will no longer act as clearing brokers for individual speculative traders. Instead, banks will redirect foot traffic into physical bullion counters, minted commemorative coins, and non-used regular accumulation plans.

    Wealth-management desks will lose fee income generated by short-term contract turnover. However, the closures eliminate retail customer default risks during sharp intraday commodity swings. Retail exposure will transfer directly into settled physical ownership.

    Precedents and Margin Escalation

    Chinese authorities have worked in stages to ring-fence households from high-volatility commodity derivatives. State lenders initiated the first round of account restrictions during previous commodity price spikes. They capped new account openings first, then raised margin thresholds across all retail tiers.

    Member commercial banks and the Shanghai Gold Exchange will now finalize account liquidation schedules, with Everbright Bank carrying out its formal operational cutoff after October 19.

  • China Spends Record $158 Billion to Import 1,141 Tons of Gold

    China Spends Record $158 Billion to Import 1,141 Tons of Gold

    China spent an unprecedented $158 billion to import 1,141 tons of gold, breaking historical spending records for foreign bullion procurement. The volume shows relentless domestic appetite across consumer jewellery retail, private investment, and institutional balance sheets.

    Surging import expenditure reflects both elevated global gold prices and sustained retail demand across mainland commercial centres. Despite operating as the world’s largest gold producer, domestic mining output remains insufficient to satisfy internal consumption requirements.

    Surging Demand Outpaces Domestic Extraction

    Domestic mines yield hundreds of tons annually, yet Chinese fabricators and jewellery operators like Chow Tai Fook, Luk Fook, and Lao Feng Xiang continue to rely heavily on international suppliers. Switzerland, Australia, and South Africa remain primary source markets feeding bullion into Shanghai dealing desks.

    Retail jewellery chains in tier-one and tier-two cities have expanded bullion counters to cater to younger buyers seeking wealth preservation. Small-denomination gold bars, collectable coins, and wearable 24-karat pieces continue to dominate retail floor space across major shopping malls.

    Institutional Buying and Portfolio Hedging

    Institutional accumulation by the central bank and state-linked funds provides a persistent floor for cross-border shipments. Commercial banks hold licensed quotas that allow them to import physical bars directly to service structured wealth management accounts.

    Currency diversification strategies have accelerated corporate balance sheet allocations toward physical commodities. The scale of the $158 billion outlay demonstrates that institutional buyers are willing to absorb elevated international premiums to secure delivery.

    Retail Expansion Across Mainland Hubs

    Consumer jewellery operators like Chow Tai Fook, Luk Fook, and Lao Feng Xiang have adapted inventory lines to emphasize investment-grade purity over complex fabrication markups. Shoppers increasingly treat retail jewellery outlets as asset exchange counters rather than purely discretionary fashion boutiques.

    For retail landlords, jewellery and bullion tenants provide steady footfall and reliable rental yields. Department store operators across Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen have consolidated ground-floor layouts to accommodate dedicated precious metal sections.

    Supply Chain Allocations and Next Quotas

    Regulatory oversight of gold import licences remains tightly controlled through the People’s Bank of China. The central authority adjusts volume allocations periodically based on foreign exchange balances and broader macro trade objectives.

    The critical metric to monitor is the quarterly allocation of commercial import quotas handed to state and joint-stock lenders for the upcoming trading cycles.

  • Japan Gold Bar Scam Losses Hit 8.13 Billion Yen in First Half of 2026

    Japan Gold Bar Scam Losses Hit 8.13 Billion Yen in First Half of 2026

    Scammers in Japan extracted 8.13 billion yen in physical gold bars from victims during the first six months of 2026. The six-month total already exceeds the 6.02 billion yen lost across the entire previous year.

    How Fraudsters Extract Physical Bullion

    Data from the National Police Agency shows two primary methods drove the surge in bullion-related theft. Fake police inquiries generated roughly 5.3 billion yen, or nearly two-thirds of the total losses. In these operations, callers tell victims that their bank accounts were implicated in criminal activity and instruct them to buy and deliver gold bars to accelerate official investigations.

    Social media investment schemes made up the second major channel. Victims bought gold bars after online solicitations promised structured investment returns, accounting for roughly 2 billion yen in lost assets during the first half.

    Shifting Tactics in Consumer Finance

    The pivot to physical bullion reflects tighter controls inside traditional banking rails. Japanese retail banks have added transaction monitoring, automated transfer limits, and stricter account screening over the past three years. Fraud syndicates bypass electronic freezes by steering victims to over-the-counter bullion dealers and delivery couriers instead.

    For precious metals retailers and pawn operators across Tokyo and Osaka, the surge places customer onboarding under immediate scrutiny. Store clerks face higher compliance burdens to identify distressed or coerced buyers before bullion leaves the counter, shifting retail risk from payment gateways directly onto storefront staff.

    Tracking the Surge Past 2025 Totals

    The sharp acceleration follows a full-year 2025 tally of 6.02 billion yen in gold bar scam losses across Japan. Rising domestic bullion prices and heightened consumer interest in gold as an inflation hedge have made physical bars easier for criminals to pitch as safe stores of value.

    Police departments across Japan are preparing updated guidance for precious metals dealers, focusing on point-of-sale interventions when first-time retail buyers make large cash or card transactions for delivery to third parties.

  • Vietnam Gold Prices Edge up as Domestic Premium Holds at VND6.8 Million

    Vietnam Gold Prices Edge up as Domestic Premium Holds at VND6.8 Million

    Domestic gold prices in Vietnam climbed on Friday morning, led by Saigon Jewelry Company lifting bullion bars 0.13 percent to VND148.6 million ($5,697.31) per tael.

    Plain gold rings gained 0.14 percent to VND148.1 million per tael. A standard Vietnamese tael equals 37.5 grams, or approximately 1.2 ounces.

    Domestic Spread and Annual Movement

    Despite the morning uptick, Saigon Jewelry Company bars remain down 0.07 percent from the start of the week. Since the beginning of the year, domestic gold prices have dropped 2.75 percent across Vietnamese trading desks.

    Retail buyers in Vietnam continue to pay a hefty premium for physical inventory. Local bars traded at roughly VND6.8 million per tael above prevailing international spot benchmarks on Friday.

    The price gap reflects sustained domestic preference for physical store-of-value assets, keeping retail jewelry and bullion counters priced well above import parity even during quieter trading weeks.

    International Pressures and Rate Outlook

    Overseas bullion traded flat on Friday after a volatile run earlier in the week. Spot gold held steady at $4,468.27 per ounce after gaining 2 percent during Thursday trading, while US gold futures for December delivery dropped 0.6 percent to $4,514.60.

    Global market participants have focused their attention on upcoming US employment figures for indications on interest rate policy. Ross Maxwell, global strategy operations lead at VT Markets, noted that central bank accumulation continues to underpin physical demand and limit broader downside across the sector.

    Market participants and domestic retail bullion traders now watch upcoming inflation data releases scheduled for next week to set the near-term direction for spot pricing.

  • Vietnam Gold Prices Drop to Lowest Level Since July

    Vietnam Gold Prices Drop to Lowest Level Since July

    Gold prices in Vietnam dropped on Saturday morning to their lowest level since July 22, tracking an overnight tumble in global bullion markets.

    Saigon Jewelry Company gold bars declined 1% to VND148.7 million ($5,700.59) per tael, which equates to 37.5 grams. Gold rings slipped 0.99% to VND149.7 million per tael, bringing the total decline for domestic gold to 2.68% so far this year.

    Global Bullion Tumbles on Rate Bets

    The domestic retreat tracked sharp losses across international trading desks. Spot gold fell 2.9% to $4,567.23 per ounce on Friday, marking its lowest reading since August 20. U.S. Gold futures for December delivery settled down 2.9% at $4,529.9 per ounce.

    Traders liquidated positions after Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh indicated that inflationary pressure remains persistent. The comments prompted markets to price in higher odds of monetary tightening rather than immediate policy relief.

    Domestic Retail Demand Reacts

    The drop reversed an earlier weekly rally that lifted global prices to a high of $4,696.18 on Tuesday. Gold ended the week down 2.9% overall.

    In Vietnam, physical gold remains a primary retail savings vehicle and an inflation hedge. When global spot prices swing rapidly, domestic jewellery retailers adjust their buy and sell spreads within hours to protect inventory margins.

    Market participants now shift their attention to the upcoming Federal Reserve policy meeting in September to gauge whether physical bullion demand in Asia will face further currency and interest rate headwinds.

  • Vietnam Gold Prices Hit Seven-Week High as SJC Bars Reach VND150.6 Million

    Vietnam Gold Prices Hit Seven-Week High as SJC Bars Reach VND150.6 Million

    Gold prices across Vietnam climbed Tuesday morning to their highest level since July 6. The rebound began nearly a week ago. Saigon Jewelry Company lifted its gold bar price by 0.40 per cent to VND150.6 million ($5,757.21) per tael.

    A tael equals 37.5 grams or roughly 1.2 ounces. Plain gold rings climbed faster than bars. Ring prices rose 1.31 per cent to VND155 million per tael across retail counters. Even with the week-long rally, domestic bullion prices remain down 1.4 per cent since the start of the year.

    Retail Premiums Widen on Ring Demand

    The faster rise in ring prices pushed standard jewellery to an unusual premium over SJC-branded bars. Buyers across Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi continue to purchase physical gold rings as a store of value. Retail counters stay active whenever global benchmarks climb.

    Bullion serves Vietnamese households as an everyday savings tool and an alternative asset. When prices swing, jewellery chains see immediate shifts in store footfall as shoppers rotate cash into metal.

    Global Benchmarks Clear Technical Resistance

    Kitco data showed international spot gold added 0.04 per cent to $4,653.70 per ounce on Tuesday. That followed a combined jump of 2.91 per cent over the previous two trading sessions.

    Overseas bullion cleared several technical resistance levels last week. The metal gained ground even as the US dollar firmed modestly. Safe-haven buying held steady, driven by shifting expectations for American fiscal and monetary policy.

    Traders in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are watching whether international spot gold holds above the $4,650 threshold. That level will determine if local prices can erase the remaining 1.4 per cent deficit from early-year marks.