Nowadays a claim is going viral on social media, in which it is being said that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has sold gold worth about $12 billion. This claim has given rise to many discussions, and people want to know its truth.
What is a viral claim?
Citing a Bloomberg report, the viral post claims that India’s central bank – RBI – may have sold part of its gold reserves to save its foreign exchange reserves. The post further alleges that the RBI has sold gold worth approximately US$12 billion.
What did PIB say on this claim?
The fact-check team of the Press Information Bureau (PIB) investigated this claim. PIB Fact-Check clears that the claim “RBI sold gold worth $12 billion” is completely false. In its investigation, PIB said that the central bank’s official data does not support this claim. Therefore, the claim doing the rounds on social media these days is misleading.
A news report published by @Bloomberg states that RBI may have sold gold amounting to approximately USD 12 billion.#PIBFactCheck
❌ This claim is FAKE
✔️According to @RBIthe share of gold in India’s foreign exchange reserves rose from 13.92% at end-September 2025 to 16.70%… pic.twitter.com/eVjxPxEv1i
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) June 3, 2026
What do RBI figures show?
According to RBI, the share of gold in India’s foreign exchange reserves is continuously increasing.
At the end of September 2025, the share of gold was 13.92%.
By March 31, 2026, this figure had increased to 16.70%.
By May 22, 2026, it had further increased to 16.85%.
What this means is clear: If the RBI had sold gold on a large scale, the share of gold in foreign exchange reserves would have declined instead of increasing.
Where can I get information about gold reserves?
Every month, RBI publishes information about the country’s gold reserves and its physical stocks in its official bulletin. According to RBI, there is no change in the data available in its monthly bulletin that supports this viral claim.
