How IAGES Is Setting New Gold Standards for Indian Consumers

During its inaugural year, IAGES has successfully onboarded over 140 accredited partners across 750+ locations in 235+ cities. The organization has engaged more than 50 million consumers through its ongoing ‘Before you exchange or buy gold, #PehlaCheckIAGES’ initiative and introduced an Accredited Partner Directory, designed to connect Indian gold buyers with verified jewellers in their vicinity.

Mumbai, 12th August’2026: The landscape of gold purchasing in India is undergoing a transformation as the Indian Association for Gold Excellence & Standards (IAGES) celebrates its first anniversary. Established a year ago by the industry for the industry, this Self-Regulatory Organisation has worked to restore trust, accountability, and ethical standards across the value chain, implementing a rigorous Code of Conduct to address the historically fragmented and unorganised nature of the gold sector.

Over the past twelve months, IAGES has cultivated one of the nation’s most expansive networks of verified gold businesses, now boasting more than 140 accredited partners with a presence in 750+ stores across 235+ cities. This membership base spans the entire spectrum of the industry—including refiners, bullion traders, manufacturers, wholesalers, assaying and hallmarking centres, as well as both traditional and digital gold retailers—all united by a strict code of conduct aimed at fostering responsible and transparent business practices.

"The idea of IAGES was conceptualized by World Gold Council in 2024 on how we can shift India’s gold-buying mindset from fear, cynicism and distrust to trust, confidence, and faith in the ecosystem. A year ago, IAGES was created to benefit gold businesses with a valuable third-party-accessed accreditation but also consumers, through a network of trusted and verified gold businesses and jewellers. When the gold-buying mindset changes at the root level, the industry eventually evolves at large. Over the next 3-5 years, we see India’s gold industry at par with the ethics and business practices of some of the world’s most developed gold markets," said Kaushlendra Sinha, CEO, IAGES.

A significant portion of the year was dedicated to consumer awareness through the ‘Before you exchange or buy gold, #PehlaCheckIAGES’ campaign, which emphasizes the importance of purchasing from verified sources. This comprehensive outreach effort has connected with over 50 million consumers, utilizing a mix of outdoor advertising, metro branding, digital channels, and social media platforms.

To further shift the gold-buying paradigm in India and provide consumers with the necessary tools for informed decision-making, IAGES introduced its Accredited Partner Directory. This pioneering platform enables users to locate verified gold businesses based on brand, category, or location before making a purchase or exchange. The directory has seen consistent and high traffic since its launch.

The directory features a wide array of participants, ranging from small and medium-sized regional retailers to some of the country’s most prominent names, such as GRT, Senco, PNG, Jos Alukkas, WHP, Orient Jewellers, Lagu Bandhu, Pothys, Thangamayil and Jagannath Pednekar.

IAGES commemorated its first anniversary during its Annual Meet 2026 in Mumbai. The event brought together accredited partners, industry leaders, and key stakeholders from across the gold value chain to celebrate the year's achievements. As the organization moves into its second year, it aims to leverage this momentum to continue expanding its accredited network and deepening its engagement with consumers nationwide.

The IAGES Accredited Partner Directory can be viewed at: https://www.iages.com/accredited-partners