Every major gold standard, and what each one covers.

Refiner due-diligence standard, mandatory for all gold Good Delivery refiners and aligned to the OECD five-step framework; a v10 public consultation launched at the June 2026 LBMA summit. The EC’s 2025 Conflict Minerals Regulation assessment scored it 89% on Section A (full on B and C, "partially aligned"), with reapplication anticipated by summer 2026.

66 gold refiners (checked 2026-07); entry requires at least 5 years of operation, 10 t/yr, GBP 15m net worth and Responsible Sourcing compliance. The Rules 2026 edition took effect 2026-01-01; the last gold addition was Shenzhen Yuexin (effective 2024-12-19, per the GDL Newsletter of April 2025).

Transparency rules published December 2025 after a June-September 2025 consultation, effective 2026-01-01, two years early. Comply-or-explain disclosure of red-flag-location counterparties, WGC member mine suppliers, and all source countries.

Refiner audit standard released 2017-12-18, minor revision 2023-01-07. The first and only scheme recognised under the EU Conflict Minerals Regulation (Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/2071, adopted 2025-10-16); recognition covers RMAP-audited facilities only, not cross-recognised ones.

94 conformant gold refiners: 37 RMAP-audited plus 57 cross-recognised via LBMA and RJC; 3 active (pending), all in Peru, and 2 flagged crude-gold refiners (counted from the live database on 2026-07-02).

Primary registry, directly observed 2026-07-02

Mutual-recognition agreement covering gold refiner audits, with annual origin-data exchange and grievance coordination. First announced in 2012, realigned to the OECD framework in 2017; policy v2 dates from September 2018.

LSM mining standard launched September 2019; conformance is mandatory for WGC members, with annual ISAE 3000-type external assurance. Being superseded by the CMSI Consolidated Mining Standard; no standalone revision.

Merger of four standards into one Consolidated Standard (24 performance areas; ~100 companies and ~600 operations anticipated). Final Consultation Report published 2026-03-12, still not launched as of 2026-07-03 (the H1 2026 target passed); a civil-society coalition (Public Citizen, Earthworks, NRGI, Oxfam and others) argues the standard is too weak, and CMSI has published responses.

Structure and timeline well corroborated; adequacy contested, both sides attributed

Mine-site ESG standard (400+ requirements, achievement levels Transparency/50/75/100); v2.0 draft 2 consultation closed 2025-10-22 with approval pending, Chain of Custody Standard v1.0 approved September 2024, ISEAL Code Compliant 2026-02-16. Zero primary gold mines audited or in audit as of 2026-07-02: gold appears only as a by-product at PGM sites, so for gold buyers IRMA is a benchmark and CoC framework, not certified supply.

Registry-checked 2026-07-02

Jewellery-chain standards, both published 2024-12-10 and effective 2025-01-01 (the CoC updated its recycled definitions); around 2,000 member companies at its 2025 20th anniversary (RJC’s own figure, unaudited), of which about 1,644 are certified on the live member directory (roughly 1,396 COP-certified plus 390 COC-certified at year-end 2024, per the 2025 Annual Progress Report); certified members are materially fewer than total members. An industry-only board; in April 2026 eight NGOs (HRW, IMPACT, Swissaid, The Sentry and others) publicly urged RJC to match LBMA DG3 transparency.

Membership figure per RJC, unaudited; governance adequacy contested

DMCC Rules for Risk Based Due Diligence, Version 2 (2020) (superseding v1.0 2016 and v1.1 2017; the v2/2020 date read from the rules PDF cover); the DGD list counts around 10 gold members including 3 UAE refineries (LBMA Spotlight on the UAE, undated chapter), and the standard is being folded into UAE Good Delivery. A 2016 OECD assessment found the programme not aligned (2018 re-assessment: most programmes in or close to alignment on standards, implementation gaps remain); Kaloti was removed from DGD in 2015.

Strong for history; DGD membership count from an undated LBMA chapter

IFSCA Good Delivery Guidelines 2025: a consultation for IIBX delivery with responsible-sourcing and CAHRA criteria. The consultation closed 2025-12-31; finalisation unconfirmed as of 2026-07.

Legacy standard from October 2012 that operationalises the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for conflict-affected areas; still referenced by WGC.

DRC state-controlled artisanal-gold buying and export channel for South Kivu, operational since January 2023 as a DRC-UAE joint venture (Primera Group Limited 55%, DRC state 45%). Renamed from Primera Gold DRC SA to DRC Gold Trading SA at a ceremony on 2024-11-13 after the state bought out the Emirati partner; the state now holds 55%, with Gécamines and FOMIN holding the balance. Official framing is formalising ASM exports to curb smuggling, with about 5 tonnes exported in 2023 (per DRC officials). Critical reporting (UN Group of Experts S/2024/432; Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, 2026) cites a preferential 0.25 percent export tax against 6 percent for competitors, no published due-diligence reports, and gold sourced from areas where armed groups levied taxes; after the venture faltered in 2024, flows were reported redirected through Rwanda.

Coverage is polarised (P6): official formalisation claims on one side, UN and investigative reporting on the other, both published attributed. Volume projections (150 t / USD 12bn over five years) are un-audited and forward-looking. The minority ownership split is contested (Gécamines 15% / FOMIN 30% per the only internally consistent source).

Certification standard v2.0 (2014-04-05) in force; a 3.0 revision was documented 2021-2023 and has been dormant since. Premium USD 4,000/kg of gold (+2,000 ecological); certified organisations range from 5 (live profiles directory, 2026-07-02) to 11 (2024 impact report), with ARM’s homepage saying 8; 2024: 74.12 kg sold, 428 licensee companies in 34 countries, about EUR 7.5M cumulative premium; Fairmined Credits offer USD 4.70/g book-and-claim, and the Palme d’Or has been made in Fairmined gold since 2014 (Chopard).

Volumes and premiums per the scheme, unaudited; certified-organisation count contested (5 to 11, dated readings)

Open-source, OECD-aligned baseline for ASM market entry; v2.1 launched 2024-10-21 (full PDF November 2024) extends the scope to aggregators, traders and processors and adds CRAFT-UA upstream assurance. Used or referenced by planetGOLD, the LBMA ASM work, Swiss Better Gold and Solidaridad.

Certification standard of 2013 (amended 2015); a revised standard is published and valid from 2027-07-01 (the current one runs to 2027-06-30). Premium USD 2,000/kg at a 95% LBMA minimum price; 2024: 1,283 kg exported on Fairtrade terms (per Fairtrade), Peru-concentrated (SOTRAMI, MACDESA, LIMATA, CECOMSAP); German consumer sales fell about 35% to around 8 kg in 2024, and there is no public current ASMO count.

Export volume per Fairtrade, unaudited

Sourcing model and association, member-led since 2025-07-01 (the SECO PPP ended; a SECO successor programme runs 2025-2029, CHF 5.87M). Escalator model with 27 sourcing criteria; premium USD 1.35/g (0.70 projects, 0.50 technical assistance, 0.15 costs); 2025: 5,335 kg exported, 27 Step 2/3 mines, 11 in Step 1, 10 suspended; 30 members including Cartier, Chopard, Chanel, Tiffany, UBS, Argor-Heraeus, Metalor and MKS PAMP (Valcambi suspended January 2025, resigned May 2025); first expansion beyond Latin America via a Mongolia MoU with the Bank of Mongolia and Argor-Heraeus (2025-06-23, 5 pilot operations).

Volumes and mine counts per the SBG Impact Report 2025 (2026-04-21), unaudited