Top Gold Loan Companies

1. What is a gold loan and why is it booming in 2025?

A gold loan is a secured loan where you pledge gold jewellery or coins as collateral and receive money against it. Lenders usually finance 65–75% of the gold’s value, subject to RBI loan‑to‑value (LTV) caps. Because the loan is backed by a very liquid asset, approval is fast, documentation is light, and interest rates are lower than on many unsecured personal loans.

According to multiple 2024–2025 market estimates, the India gold loan market size stands roughly between USD 67.4 billion and USD 83.7 billion in 2024, with growth forecasts ranging from 11.9% to 16.5% CAGR out to 2031–2032. One report notes a 56% year‑on‑year surge in gold loans in 2024, far outpacing home loan growth of 18%.

Key growth drivers include:

• Gold prices rising by around 40% over three years, increasing loan amounts per gram of pledged gold.

• RBI’s higher risk weights on unsecured consumer loans, which pushed banks and NBFCs towards secured products like gold loans.

• Rapid digitisation: AI‑assisted valuation, eKYC, and app‑based journeys have cut disbursal times from 2–3 days to under 2 hours in some implementations.

• Financial inclusion: organised gold loans expanding beyond South India into semi‑urban and rural markets, supporting MSMEs, farmers, and first‑time borrowers.

As PwC notes, gold loans are helping bridge credit gaps for rural households and MSMEs, with younger borrowers driving adoption via digital platforms. This makes 2025 a critical year for understanding and choosing between top gold loan companies.

2. Who are the top gold loan companies in India and Nepal?

In 2025, the “top gold loan companies” are not just standalone NBFCs. They include large diversified financial conglomerates and ecosystem players. Research indicates that the gold loan market is highly concentrated, with the top four NBFCs accounting for around 83% of NBFC gold loan portfolios.

Core gold loan NBFCs

• Muthoot Finance Ltd – India’s largest dedicated gold loan NBFC, headquartered in Kochi, with over 5,000 branches nationwide. It primarily serves small businesses, vendors, farmers, traders, SME owners, and salaried individuals with gold‑backed credit products.

• Manappuram Finance Ltd – A Thrissur‑based NBFC with over 4,190 branches across 25 states, historically focused on pawn broking and gold loans. Its standalone gold book has grown strongly; one 2025 article notes nearly 19% year‑on‑year growth in its gold portfolio to about ₹23,700 crore.

Diversified financial conglomerates with gold loan offerings

• Shriram Group / Shriram Finance – Chennai‑based conglomerate whose flagship Shriram Finance provides commercial vehicle, SME, and retail lending, including gold loans as a key retail product.

• Bajaj Finserv / Bajaj Finance – Pune‑based NBFC group focused on lending, asset management, and insurance. Bajaj Finance offers personal, SME, housing, and secured loans, including gold loans in selected segments, supported by its digital marketplace Bajaj Finserv Direct.

• IIFL Finance Ltd (India Infoline) – A diversified financial services group offering NBFC lending, housing finance, and wealth management, with gold loans as one of its secured retail offerings across more than 2,250 locations.

• Aditya Birla Group / Aditya Birla Capital – A large conglomerate with over US$70 billion in revenue and financial services assets under management of about ₹3.6 trillion as of March 2023. Gold loans are part of secured retail lending under select Aditya Birla Capital entities, especially in markets with strong gold ownership.

Banking and ecosystem players

• Laxmi Sunrise Bank Ltd (Nepal) – An A‑class commercial bank formed by the merger of Laxmi Bank and Sunrise Bank in 2023, listed on the Nepal Stock Exchange. It offers secured lending, including gold‑backed products tailored to local regulations and risk norms.

• TransUnion CIBIL – India’s leading credit information company, maintaining credit files on roughly 600 million individuals and 32 million businesses. Although not a lender itself, its credit scores and bureau data are central to risk‑based pricing and underwriting in gold loans.

According to ICRA, organised gold loans by banks and NBFCs are expected to exceed ₹10 trillion in FY25 and reach around ₹15 trillion by March 2027, with banks now holding roughly 82% of organised portfolios and NBFCs focusing on high‑yield retail gold loans.

3. How do Muthoot Finance and Manappuram Finance compare as pure‑play gold loan NBFCs?

Muthoot Finance and Manappuram Finance are often the first names that come to mind when borrowers search for “top gold loan company near me.” Both are Kerala‑headquartered NBFCs with decades of experience and large national networks.