Around a third of Berlin’s bullion reserves, worth $180 billion, remain in New York
Berlin should repatriate its gold reserves held in the US, a German lawmaker told Der Spiegel on Friday, citing concerns over US President Donald Trump’s “unpredictable” policies.
Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, a member of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), said repatriating the reserves would reduce strategic risk amid growing uncertainty.
Gold prices have surged over the past four years, rising nearly 70% in 2025 alone, fueled by central bank demand, inflation concerns, and geopolitical tensions. Gold futures hit a record high this week, topping $4,860 an ounce, amid Trump’s renewed tariff threats against European countries that oppose his Greenland acquisition plan, which he later downplayed.
”At a time of growing global uncertainties and under the unpredictable US policies of President Trump, it is no longer acceptable that around 37% of Germany’s gold reserves, more than 1,230 tons, are stored in New York,” Strack-Zimmermann said.
The Bundesbank holds 1,236 tons of gold worth $178 billion at the US Federal Reserve in New York. For decades, a significant share of Germany’s reserves has been kept abroad due to historical and market factors.
Strack-Zimmermann said the arrangement made sense during the Cold War but no longer suits today’s geopolitical landscape. “Mere faith” in “transatlantic partners” cannot replace sovereignty in economic and security policy, she argued.
Germany has stored part of its reserves overseas since the post-war economic boom, repatriating some gold from New York and Paris from 2013 to 2017. Around half of the reserves are now held domestically, with the remainder in New York and London.
Global central bank demand has been one of the factors behind rising gold prices, as countries seek to offset currency devaluation and other concerns. A recent Bloomberg report said the rise in Russia’s monetary gold reserves has offset much of the value of its assets frozen by Western countries, including the US, increasing by around $216 billion since February 2022. Rising prices have pushed Russia’s gold to 43% of total reserves, up from 21% before the Ukraine conflict, making it the world’s fifth-largest holder.
