Gold price: Most popular stories of 2025

[Ben Graham]

The gold price shattered records in 2025. Throughout the year, the precious metal hit an all-time peak 50 times, the latest hitting $4,549.71 an ounce on Boxing Day. As it stands, bullion is now on the cusp of having its best annual performance since 1979.

As this monumental year draws to an end, we look back at some of the top gold-related articles featured on MINING.COM. From prolonged mine disputes and geopolitics to bold price forecasts, there was no shortage of headline-grabbing stories, with the following leading the charge:

1. Barrick hit again as Mali helicopters take off with $117M in gold

Stock image by spacekris.

Our most popular gold story details a key event in the long-running dispute between Barrick and the state of Mali. In mid-July, the junta-led regime flew into the Loulo-Gounkoto mine complex and left with roughly 35,000 ounces of gold. At the time, operations had already forced to shut down due to an earlier seizure of gold and placed under provisional administration.

2. Gold price to reach new highs in 2026: Goldman poll

Gold bullion. Credit: Adobe Stock / photobc1.

Rising gold prices could well continue in the new year, according to Goldman Sachs Group. In mid-November, the bank surveyed its clients and found that many of them are expecting gold to break new records in 2026. About a third of the respondents see prices hitting $5,000 an ounce by this time next year, the poll results showed. At the time, gold was trading around $4,250 an ounce, and has since surpassed the $4,500 level.

3. Burkina Faso’s nationalization rattles West Africa’s gold sector

Captain Ibrahim Traoré. (Image: Wikimedia Commons.)

In 2025, Western African nations ramped up fiscal pressure on miners operating in the region. In late August, Burkina Faso requested to buy a sizeable stake in a new gold mine, in one of many aggressive steps taken by Ibrahim Traoré’s government to increase its control over mining assets amid rising metal prices. The nation is the fourth-largest gold producer on the continent.

4. Germany may look to withdraw its gold from US

Stock image.

At the height of global trade tensions in April, European media outlets reported that Germany may look to repatriate its gold from the US due to concerns over President Donald Trump’s tariff policies. It is estimated that about a third of Germany’s gold, equating to roughly 1,200 tonnes, are currently stored in the vaults of the New York Federal Reserve in Manhattan. Germany has the world’s second-largest gold reserves, behind only the US.

5. RANKED: World’s top 20 largest gold mines

Nevada Gold Mines, the world’s biggest gold mining complex. (Image: Barrick)

In May, MINING.COM published a ranking of the world’s top 20 gold producers based on their most recent annual production. The Nevada Gold Mines joint venture between Newmont and Barrick came away on top with nearly 2.7 million oz. produced, trailed closely by the Muruntau mine in Uzbekistan. In third place was the giant Grasberg mine in Indonesia.

6. Germany, Italy pressured to repatriate $245B worth of gold from US

Bundesbank gold vault in Frankfurt. Credit: Bundesbank/Nils Thies

Politicians and taxpayer advocacy groups put pressure on Germany to repatriate its gold held in the US vaults. Italy, which has the third-largest gold holding, was also under pressure. Together, the two European powers have about 5,800 tonnes of gold holdings (3,352 tonnes and 2,452 tonnes respectively. At current prices, they are worth about $320 billion.

7. Fort Knox: Why verifying the US gold reserves matters

The US Bullion Depository, often known as Fort Knox. (Image: Wikimedia Commons.)

Since taking office for a second term in January, US President Trump has repeatedly called for an audit of gold inventories at Fort Knox. It is estimated that the bullion depository in Kentucky currently has over 147 million ounces of the metal, representing the largest portion of America’s total holdings. US lawmakers have also pushed for an audit of the Fort Knox gold, which would be the first since 1974.

8. Barrick halts operations in Mali after $245m in gold seized

Barrick CEO Mark Bristow. (Image courtesy of Future Mineral TV.)

Barrick’s long-running dispute with Mali escalated in January when the company followed through with its threat to halt its Loulo-Gounkoto complex after the military-led government seized gold at the site. The long-dragged out dispute began when Mali revised its mining code in 2023 to give the state higher stakes in projects. In November, the two sides were able to resolve their issues, and Barrick agreed to pay the nation $430 million.

9. Basel III makes it official: Gold is money again

Stock image.

Gold had a seismic shift in perception in the middle of 2025 after the metal was officially be classified as a Tier 1, high-quality liquid asset (HQLA) under the Basel III banking regulations. The new rule means US banks can count physical gold, at 100% of its market value, toward their core capital reserves. As such, bullion would no longer be marked down by 50% as a “Tier 3” asset, as it was under the old rules.

10. US excludes steel, aluminum, gold from reciprocal tariffs

Rolls of galvanized steel sheet. Stock image.

In April, the US government announced that it did not include gold, aluminum and steel in its reciprocal tariffs, which provided a temporary relief to the metals markets. Still, it eventually went ahead with tariffs on aluminum under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. Gold was also rumored to be subject to tariffs, though that was largely due to confusion over tariff rules, which the White House later clarified.

11. ‘Paper gold is over’ as BRICS nations build dollar-free payments

12. Gold price may have peaked at $3,500 for now, says BofA commodities head

13. Gold price poised to break out: Sprott

14. Illegal miners are digging gold at a $4.8B Newmont site in Peru

15. Gold price falls by most in over a decade as rally cools

16. RANKED: Top 10 gold mining companies of 2025

17. US lawmakers push for comprehensive audit of Fort Knox gold

18. C$1.3M in gold up for grabs as Canada Treasure Hunt begins

19. Traders load US-bound planes with gold and silver in tariff bet

20. Goldman Sachs upgrades gold forecast again to $3,700