The general albeit popular trend in India is to invest in physical gold. Unfortunately, physical
gold is considered a dead asset because it doesn’t yield any income or returns unless sold or
pledged as collateral. After all, most people tend to hoard gold for generations. There are
also issues such as the risk of theft, secure storage, and lower valuation in case of damage.
Moreover, physical gold, especially in the jewelry form, is costly due to making charges
and there is also a question of purity.
Due to these drawbacks of physical gold, Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGBs) have emerged as a
better alternative investment option. Here is all you need to know about
investing in gold
What are SGBs?
SGBs are government securities issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and denominated
in grams of gold. This scheme was introduced in 2015.
RBI issues them in different tranches during the financial year. The minimum investment is 1
gram and you can invest in multiples of 1 gram. The maximum limit is the subscription of 4
kg for individuals.
Why Should you invest in SGBs?
Here are some reasons you can consider investing in SGBs:
1. Cost-Effective
When you invest in SGBs, you save the cost of buying, storing, insurance, and making
charges that are commonly associated with physical gold. SGBs are held safely in digital
format in your demat account. Moreover, SGBs are available at a lower price than physical
gold.
2. Returns
Unlike physical gold which is an idle investment, you can earn an annual interest of 2.5% on
SGBs. This is a fixed interest rate, so you can expect guaranteed returns. SGBs are a good
investment to earn passive income.
3. Tradability
SGBs are tradable on stock exchanges if you hold them in demat form. This means that you
can buy or sell them in the secondary market.
4. Tax-Efficient
The maturity period of SGBs is 10 years though you can encash or redeem them after 5
years. The capital gain on the maturity amount is completely tax-exempt. Though interest
on SGBs is taxable, Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) is not applicable.
However, do note that SGBs may attract tax in certain conditions such as when they are sold
in the secondary market or redeemed before the maturity date.
5. Purity
The value of SGBs is determined by the value of gold of 999 purity. These prices are
published by the India Bullion and Jewelers Association Limited. Unlike physical gold where
you may get cheated on the purity, especially if not hallmark certified, SGB investors do not
have to worry about the purity.
6. Collateral
You can place SGBs as collateral to get loans from banks, financial institutions, and Non-
Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs).
You can invest in SGBs through registered and authorized SEBI brokers like Ajmera x-change.
Ajmera x-change also has a long-standing experience as an equity capital, bonds,
provides stocks and security trading support in the international stock market. Get in touch
to know more.