India Gold Policy Centre@IIMA wins prestigious award for contribution  to Gold Policy Research in 2017-2018

The India Gold Policy Centre (IGPC), IIM Ahmedabad won an award for Outstanding Contribution to Gold Policy Research in 2017-18 at the 15th India International Gold Convention recently held in Kochi. The award was received by Professor Arvind Sahay, Chairman of IGPC, along with his team, on behalf of the Centre.

The convention, that was held at Le Meridien Convention Centre, saw over 100 delegates representing different sections of the gold industry from India and abroad, trade organizations, financial institutions and policy experts holding deliberations over policy and trade matters related to gold ecosystem.. The gathering consisted of 11 bullion banks, 6 nominated banks, 6 international refiners, 25+ domestic refiners, leading jewellery manufacturers from India, official / trade representatives from Canada, Peru, Ghana, Liberia, Myanmar and Singapore.

Speaking on this occasion Prof. Arvind Sahay, Chairman at IGPC said “We are honoured to have received this award. IGPC has been doing extensive research work in the field since its inception. IGPC has organized two policy workshops and an academic research conference in the past 3 years. IGPC has published several papers on research studies undertaken by faculty and doctoral students of IIMA or other institutions funded by the Centre. We have a brilliant team and this award is testimony of the hard work we put in.”

The convention was organised by Foretell Business Solutions where IGPC participated as a ‘Research Partner’. Prof. Arvind Sahay addressed the delegates on ‘Mapping Gold Policy-Present to Future’.

The India Gold Policy Centre, a part of the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA), is a Centre of excellence sponsored by World Gold Council (WGC). A pioneer Thinktank in global gold industry, the Centre was set up in 2014 and aimed towards conducting cutting-edge research on all aspects of the Indian gold industry. It was established as a result of a collaboration between the World Gold Council and IIMA.

The objective of the Centre is to develop insights into important questions relating to the gold industry. These include, but are not limited to, the role of the significant stocks of gold India owns that can be used to advance growth, employment, social inclusion and economic wealth of the nation, bullion banking, consumer participation in GMS, refining, etc.Located within the premises of the IIMA, the Centre connects closely with practice and was set up in line with the Institute’s vision to connect with industry as an important stakeholder.

IGPC operates on various levels and conducts several activities under its aegis. These include carrying out high quality research, producing an annual gold policy report, disseminating research through a variety of channels including media outreach, participation in industry conferences, roundtable discussions and/or authored articles etc. It also engages with the government and policy makers about the role of gold in the financial architecture and gem and jewellery industry. It focuses on developing business case studies on the role of gold in the financial system and society.

One of the Centre’s projects is to build relationships with other leading management institutions and global institutions on gold industry research, including WGC’s other global research initiatives. From time to time, it undertakes multi-disciplinary, thematic and applied research in several key areas relating to the use of gold as a fungible financial asset in India.