•Gold and silver prices saw a sharp jump on February 23, 2026, with MCX Gold reaching 159,585 rupees per gram and MCX Silver hitting 264,600 rupees per kilogram.
•Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman noted that gold demand rises during festive seasons due to domestic consumption, but currently, it's not at an alarming level.
•Sitharaman attributed the global rise in gold and silver prices to central banks worldwide buying and accumulating these precious metals.
•RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra stated that the RBI is monitoring gold, noting that import value didn't significantly increase between April and December, with price hikes mainly due to decreased import volume.
•Malhotra clarified that higher gold import figures in January were due to seasonal demand and assured that there is no major concern regarding gold and silver imports, with India's Current Account Deficit under control.
