Gold, Precious Metals, and Private Banking: New Investment Opportunities in Mauritius
Mauritius banks can now buy, hold, and sell gold, silver, and platinum. They can open accounts denominated in precious metals. They can store your valuables in safety vaults. These aren’t aspirational policy announcements – they’re statutory powers granted under the Finance Act 2025.
Combined with new Freeport provisions for art, wine, and collectible auctions, the Finance Act 2025 positions Mauritius more explicitly as a wealth management and alternative asset hub. For foreign investors already using Mauritius as a base, this opens up new asset classes that were previously unavailable through local banking channels.
What banks can now do with precious metals
The Finance Act 2025 (Section 3) amends the Banking Act to give banks new authorisations. Specifically, a bank may now be authorised by the central bank to:
Buy, hold, store, and sell precious metals
Banks can deal in gold, silver, platinum, and any other precious metals the central bank may determine. They can do this in two capacities:
- In their own name: The bank itself holds precious metals as part of its assets
- As part of client portfolio management: The bank buys and holds precious metals as part of managing a client’s investment portfolio, and issues a certificate of ownership
The certificate of ownership is notable – it means you can have a bank manage your gold holdings and receive a document proving ownership, without having to physically store the metal yourself.
Provide safety vault services
Banks can offer safety vault services for:
- Gold, silver, platinum
- Precious and semi-precious stones
- Precious metals and pearls
- Works of art
- Collectors’ pieces or antiques
- Any other high-value goods the central bank may determine
This goes well beyond a standard safe deposit box. Banks are now explicitly authorised to provide professional vault storage for a wide range of high-value assets – art, antiques, jewellery, gemstones, and precious metals.
Open precious metals-denominated accounts
Banks can now open and maintain accounts denominated in gold, silver, platinum, and other precious metals as the central bank may determine. This means your account balance is expressed in grams or ounces of metal rather than a currency amount – your holdings track the metal price directly.
The Freeport auction provision
In parallel, the Finance Act 2025 (Section 22) amends the Freeport Act to allow a new activity within Freeport zones:
Auctions for paintings, sculpture, photography, antiques, coins, stamps, wine, gold bars, jewellery, manuscripts, and any other vintage item having a historical, cultural, or artistic value.
The Mauritius Freeport already handles warehousing, logistics, and trading activities. Adding auction capabilities for art and collectibles turns it into a potential regional hub for alternative asset transactions – a model similar to what Luxembourg and Singapore have done with their freeport facilities.
For investors holding physical assets like art collections, fine wine, or numismatic collections, the ability to store, trade, and auction these items within a Freeport framework offers logistical and potentially tax-efficient advantages.
Why this matters for foreign investors
Until now, accessing precious metals through Mauritius banking channels was limited. If you wanted gold exposure, you were looking at ETFs, overseas accounts, or physical purchases outside the banking system. The Finance Act 2025 changes that:
- Portfolio diversification within your Mauritius bank: You can now hold gold, silver, and platinum alongside your currency accounts, managed by the same bank
- Certificate of ownership: Formal documentation from your bank proving your precious metal holdings – useful for estate planning and wealth structuring
- Local storage for high-value assets: Safety vault services for art, antiques, and collectibles, regulated under the Banking Act rather than informal storage arrangements
- Precious metals accounts: A gold-denominated account is a hedge against currency depreciation without needing to hold physical metal yourself
For high-net-worth investors who have structured their affairs through Mauritius – whether via a Global Business Licence company, through property ownership, or as part of a retirement arrangement – these new banking services add a dimension that was previously missing.
What we don’t know yet
The Finance Act 2025 grants the powers, but the implementation details are still emerging:
- Which banks will offer these services? Authorisation is at the central bank’s discretion. Not every bank will necessarily apply for or receive authorisation
- What terms and conditions? The central bank will set the terms, which could include minimum holding amounts, fee structures, and eligibility criteria
- Tax treatment: The Mauritius tax system doesn’t tax capital gains – but the specific treatment of precious metals gains, storage fees, and account structures will need clarification from the MRA
- Freeport auction regulations: The operational framework for conducting auctions in Freeport zones is yet to be detailed
The bigger picture
Mauritius is positioning itself as more than a corporate structuring jurisdiction. The Finance Act 2025 precious metals provisions, combined with the Freeport auction capabilities, signal an ambition to become a regional centre for wealth management, alternative assets, and high-value storage. Whether it achieves that depends on how quickly banks move to build the infrastructure and how effectively the regulatory framework supports it.
For the broader investment landscape in Mauritius, and the business and investment guide, follow the links.
Disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute investment, tax, or financial advice. The availability and terms of precious metals banking services will depend on individual bank authorisations from the Bank of Mauritius. Consult a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. Information current as of August 2025.
