Compare gold investment opportunities
Physical gold ownership, usually held as allocated bullion in a professional vault, is one of the oldest alternative assets: valued for its scarcity and its long history as a store of value outside the banking system. It is not the same as owning gold-mining shares or a gold ETF, and it carries its own distinct set of practical considerations.
What owning physical gold actually means
When you buy allocated bullion, you own specific, identifiable bars or coins held in your name in a vault, rather than a claim on a pooled fund. That ownership brings storage, insurance and verification questions that a mainstream investment simply doesn't have.
Price can fall
Gold has no yield or income, and its price moves with global demand, interest rates and currency strength. Capital is fully at risk.
Not FCA-regulated
Physical bullion dealing and storage generally falls outside the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, so it isn't an FCA-regulated activity.
Storage and verification matter
Check where and how the metal is actually held, whether it's allocated to you specifically, and how you'd verify or sell it.
Physical gold vs. gold-mining shares or ETFs
A gold-mining company's share price depends on that company's costs, output, debt and management, as well as the gold price itself — it's a company investment first, a gold investment second. A gold-backed ETF gives price exposure without physical delivery, and typically sits inside the same regulated fund framework as other listed funds. Direct, allocated physical ownership is different again: you hold a specific, identifiable asset with no counterparty risk from a fund manager, but you take on storage, insurance, and verification considerations instead.
What to check before you invest
- Whether metal is allocated (specific bars/coins assigned to you) or unallocated (a general claim on the provider's stock, which carries counterparty risk).
- Where the metal is stored, whether the vault is independently audited, and whether it's insured.
- Whether the provider is a member of a recognised body such as the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA).
- The full cost of buying, storing and eventually selling, including any spread between buy and sell prices.
Gold & precious metals opportunities
Matched from our current panel. These are independently researched, real companies we have no commercial relationship with — see the note on each card, and always do your own research before proceeding.
BullionVault (Galmarley Limited)
An online marketplace where private investors buy, sell and store physical gold, silver, platinum and palladium bullion, held on an allocated basis in professional vaults. A full member of the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) since 2008.
Physical precious metals trading, custody and delivery fall outside the scope of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, so BullionVault is not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
The Royal Mint Vault Storage
A fully allocated, segregated storage service for gold, silver and platinum bullion coins and bars at The Royal Mint's secure site in South Wales, with customers retaining full legal title to their metal and holdings insured.
Investments in physical bullion products are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, so Financial Ombudsman and FSCS protections do not apply.