Congo moves to channel artisanal gold into central-bank reserves

The Democratic Republic of Congo is moving to expand its state-backed gold trade in 2026, with DRC Gold Trading targeting 15 metric tons of artisanal bullion as Kinshasa pushes more output into formal channels. The plan also gives the central bank a larger role, after a February agreement granted it priority access to the gold collected by the state trader as initially reported by Reuters.

The target marks a sharp scale-up for a company created to channel artisanal gold away from smuggling networks and into official export systems, more than 45 foreign buyers have already requested supply, but domestic reserve-building remains the priority as authorities try to strengthen the country’s financial buffers.

The reserve strategy took clearer shape in late February, when the Banque Centrale du Congo signed a partnership with DRC Gold Trading to begin purchasing domestically sourced gold for monetary reserves. Supporting reports said the arrangement is designed to help diversify reserves, support the Congolese franc and reduce reliance on external currencies.

The broader state objective is to formalise a sector where large volumes of artisanal gold have long bypassed official markets. That places Congo within a wider trend in which governments and central banks are stepping deeper into domestic gold buying as prices climb and concerns over illicit trade grow.

For Kinshasa, the next step is execution: expanding DRC Gold Trading’s footprint across mining provinces, securing reliable supply from artisanal producers and turning announced policy into measurable reserve accumulation. The central bank has not publicly set a gold reserve target, but the 2026 plan shows Congo is trying to convert artisanal output into a more strategic state asset.

Source: Reuters