In 2021, second-tier banks and certain non-bank exchange offices sold a total of 32,236 gold bullion bars of total weight of 1.1 ton. 3,274 gold bullion bars of total weight 107.4 kg were sold in December 2021.
National Bank launched the program for sale and repurchase of gold bullionbars of refined gold for population (hereinafter the ‘Program’) in 2017. Overall, 74,905 gold bars of total weight of 2.7 tons have been sold since its launch.
The gold bars are available in five varieties: 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 grams. 10 gram bars are the most popular among buyers in 2021. Last year these accounted for 29% of the total sales volume, or 9,521 pieces. These are followed by 6,636 pieces of 100 gram bars (21%), 6,136 pieces of 5 gram bars (19%), 5,265 pieces of 50 gram bars (16%), and 4,768 pieces of 20 gram bars (15%). Gold bullionbars are in high demand in the cities of Almaty, Nur-Sultan and Atyrau.
Gold bars can be a reliable investment tool. The key factor to ensure a liquid market of gold bars is the possibility for banks and non-bank exchange offices to repurchase a bar with payment of money to a client on the same day.
Since the Program’s launch, second-tier banks and non-bank exchange offices accepted 10,886 gold bars of a total weight of 226 kg for repurchase, which is 15% of the total volume of sales of gold bullion bars bars. Almost all the accepted bars are sold to the population without return to NBK branches.
Each gold bullion bar is released with safety elements (mirror surface of the bar, microtext and embossed edge) in a special packaging which protects it against mechanical damages and allows to easily check if packaging was unsealed. Protective packaging also serves as a quality certificate. Therefore, careful storage and keeping the packaging unsealed is strongly recommended.
Today, the gold bars are available for purchase and sell-back at Halyk Bank, Eurasian Bank, Jýsan Bank, Bank CenterCredit, and also certain non-bank exchange offices.
