As the global pandemic continued to put precious metals in the spotlight, the Mint also recorded a 32% increase in millennial customers during 2020.

Turbulence in 2020 saw the popularity of physical and digital gold increase significantly at The Mint, attracting thousands of new customers to their precious metals division. In the last quarter of 2020, The Royal Mint introduced special edition 1g and 5g gold bars for Diwali and Christmas, which contributed to significant growth as consumers sought out investment gifts.

Andrew Dickey, divisional director of precious metals for The Royal Mint, said that gold ‘continued to shine’ in the last quarter of 2020 as people looked to precious metals for safe-haven investments, but also for savvy Christmas gifts.

He said: “The Royal Mint has been making it easier to access precious metals online, thanks to the growth of our digital investment products such as DigiGold and Little Treasures. As we go into 2021, various fiscal and monetary policies- both of which are traditional drivers of gold demand - will begin to unfold in an attempt to support the recovery of the global economy. With this in mind, we’re expecting demand for our precious metal products to continue to shine.”