Global central banks resume net gold purchases in April, with China's central bank increasing holdings for 18 consecutive months According to BlockBeats, on June 4th, the latest report from the World Gold Council showed that after a significant net sale of gold in March, global central banks switched back to net buying in April, with a total increase of 17 tons of gold held that month. However, the overall gold purchase volume is still lower than the same period last year. Among them, Poland ranks first in the world in terms of purchasing 14 tons of gold, with a cumulative increase of 45 tons during the year and a total gold reserve of 595 tons. The People's Bank of China increased its holdings of 8 tons of gold in April, marking the largest monthly increase since December 2024. Its gold reserves rose to 2322 tons, achieving 18 consecutive months of increased holdings. The Czech Central Bank increased its holdings of gold for the 38th consecutive month, adding 2 tons in April. At the same time, the Russian central bank continued its trend of reducing holdings, selling a net of 6 tons of gold in April, with a cumulative sales volume of 22 tons for the year, marking the fourth consecutive month of net sales. Uzbekistan slightly reduced its holdings by 1 ton in April, but still accumulated an increase of 24 tons throughout the year, with gold reserves accounting for as much as 88% of its foreign exchange reserves. The World Gold Council points out that central banks in Eastern Europe and Asia remain the main force in global official gold purchases. Over the past 36 months, the average monthly gold purchases in the two regions have reached 12 tons and 11 tons respectively, continuing to support global gold demand. According to a survey conducted in 2025, 95% of surveyed central banks expect global official gold reserves to continue to grow in the coming year, and 43% of central banks plan to further increase their holdings of gold, up from 29% the previous year. [Original link]