E-Gold Vs Gold ETFs? Which is a better Gold Investment option? Which avenue has a higher yield? These are some of the common questions often asked by an investor wanting to invest in these non-physical form of gold. Well, both the forms are unique in trading with each having its own benefits in essential parameters like returns, taxation, holding period, etc. Therefore, we will see how both- Gold ETFs and E-Gold differ from each other and which form makes a better gold investment option!
E-Gold is a unique gold investment product launched by the National Spot Exchange Limited (NSEL). This product enables investors to Buy Gold in an electronic form on the NSE’s trading platform and the gold bought by you will reflect in your Demat account.
E-Gold is one such investment that allows investors to buy gold in a smaller denomination, such as 1gm, 2gm, 3gm, etc. The gold units that you would buy here will be credited to your Demat account in T+2 days. Similarly, for instance, if you have sold today, the same will debited from your Demat account in 2 days (from the date of sale).
E-gold is less expensive compared to gold ETFs as the latter is exposed to various charges like asset management fees, security service fees, etc. To know the current value of your investment in gold ETFs, you have to track the NAV of that fund but in the case of e-gold, the value is that of the prevailing gold price.
Gold ETFs has become one of the most popular modes of gold investments. Gold ETFs are also the Underlying of open-ended Gold Mutual Funds that help you to invest your money in gold. The underlying gold purity is 99.5%. Gold ETFs are also known as paper gold. These are listed and traded on major stock exchanges and investors are assigned units where each unit usually represents one gram of gold.
In gold ETFs, investors can trade in their existing Demat account. Gold ETFs offers investors a secure way to access the gold Market. They also provide the benefit of liquidity as it can be traded at any time during the trading period.
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Gold ETFs can be traded only between 9:00 am to 3:30 pm on weekdays. Whereas, e-gold can be traded from 10:00 am to 11:30 pm on weekdays.
Both the forms can be converted into physical gold, but the minimum quantity for each varies. The minimum quantity for e-gold is 8 grams, while, in gold-ETF, one can convert only when it exceeds a certain size of 500gm to 1Kg.
Efficient form and is able to trace gold prices more closely than gold ETFs. However, e-gold loses out to gold ETFs when it comes to taxation.
But, now, when you know the key difference between these two forms, invest in an avenue that offers secure investment with better returns!
Parameters | Gold ETFs | E-Gold |
---|---|---|
Separate Demat Account | No | Yes |
Holdings | Owned by AMCs | Yes |
Conversion to Physical Gold | Minimum 0.5-1 kg | Investors directly hold gold units in demat account |
Short Term Capital Gains | Less than 1 year- 20% tax on returns | Less than 3 years- 20% tax on returns |
Long Term Capital Gains | After 1 year- 10% tax returns | After 3 years- 10% tax on returns |
Recurring Expenses | 0.40% | 1% |
Returns | Highest at it's the most cost-effective | Slightly lower than gold ETF |
Pricing | Linked to International Gold Price | Linked to Indian Gold Price |
Convert to Jewelry | Not available | Available with selected Jewellers |
Some of the best underlying Gold ETFs to Invest are as follows:
An Open ended Fund of Funds Scheme with the investment objective to provide returns that tracks returns provided by Birla Sun Life Gold ETF (BSL Gold ETF). Below is the key information for Aditya Birla Sun Life Gold Fund Returns up to 1 year are on The investment objective of the Scheme will be to generate returns that correspond closely to the returns generated by IDBI Gold Exchange Traded Fund (IDBI GOLD ETF). Research Highlights for IDBI Gold Fund Below is the key information for IDBI Gold Fund Returns up to 1 year are on To seek capital appreciation by investing in units of HDFC Gold Exchange Traded Fund (HGETF). Research Highlights for HDFC Gold Fund Below is the key information for HDFC Gold Fund Returns up to 1 year are on The scheme seeks to provide returns that closely correspond to returns provided by SBI - ETF Gold (Previously known as SBI GETS). Research Highlights for SBI Gold Fund Below is the key information for SBI Gold Fund Returns up to 1 year are on The investment objective of the Scheme is to seek to provide returns that closely correspond to returns provided by Reliance ETF Gold BeES. Research Highlights for Nippon India Gold Savings Fund Below is the key information for Nippon India Gold Savings Fund Returns up to 1 year are on 1. Aditya Birla Sun Life Gold Fund
Aditya Birla Sun Life Gold Fund
Growth Launch Date 20 Mar 12 NAV (20 Aug 25) ₹28.7485 ↓ -0.10 (-0.34 %) Net Assets (Cr) ₹663 on 31 Jul 25 Category Gold - Gold AMC Birla Sun Life Asset Management Co Ltd Rating ☆☆☆ Risk Moderately High Expense Ratio 0.51 Sharpe Ratio 2.62 Information Ratio 0 Alpha Ratio 0 Min Investment 100 Min SIP Investment 100 Exit Load 0-365 Days (1%),365 Days and above(NIL) Growth of 10,000 investment over the years.
Date Value 31 Jul 20 ₹10,000 31 Jul 21 ₹8,893 31 Jul 22 ₹9,380 31 Jul 23 ₹10,712 31 Jul 24 ₹12,357 31 Jul 25 ₹17,250 Returns for Aditya Birla Sun Life Gold Fund
absolute basis
& more than 1 year are on CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate)
basis. as on 20 Aug 25 Duration Returns 1 Month 0.2% 3 Month 5% 6 Month 13% 1 Year 35.3% 3 Year 22.4% 5 Year 12% 10 Year 15 Year Since launch 8.2% Historical performance (Yearly) on absolute basis
Year Returns 2024 18.7% 2023 14.5% 2022 12.3% 2021 -5% 2020 26% 2019 21.3% 2018 6.8% 2017 1.6% 2016 11.5% 2015 -7.2% Fund Manager information for Aditya Birla Sun Life Gold Fund
Name Since Tenure Priya Sridhar 31 Dec 24 0.58 Yr. Data below for Aditya Birla Sun Life Gold Fund as on 31 Jul 25
Asset Allocation
Asset Class Value Cash 1.51% Other 98.49% Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
Name Holding Value Quantity Aditya BSL Gold ETF
- | -100% ₹636 Cr 75,025,724
↑ 2,384,690 Net Receivables / (Payables)
Net Current Assets | -0% -₹2 Cr Clearing Corporation Of India Limited
CBLO/Reverse Repo | -0% ₹2 Cr 2. IDBI Gold Fund
IDBI Gold Fund
Growth Launch Date 14 Aug 12 NAV (20 Aug 25) ₹25.7958 ↓ -0.18 (-0.70 %) Net Assets (Cr) ₹214 on 31 Jul 25 Category Gold - Gold AMC IDBI Asset Management Limited Rating Risk Moderately High Expense Ratio 0.64 Sharpe Ratio 2.25 Information Ratio 0 Alpha Ratio 0 Min Investment 5,000 Min SIP Investment 500 Exit Load 0-12 Months (1%),12 Months and above(NIL) Growth of 10,000 investment over the years.
Date Value 31 Jul 20 ₹10,000 31 Jul 21 ₹8,555 31 Jul 22 ₹8,924 31 Jul 23 ₹10,298 31 Jul 24 ₹12,071 31 Jul 25 ₹16,640 Returns for IDBI Gold Fund
absolute basis
& more than 1 year are on CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate)
basis. as on 20 Aug 25 Duration Returns 1 Month 0.5% 3 Month 4.9% 6 Month 12.8% 1 Year 35.2% 3 Year 22.6% 5 Year 11.8% 10 Year 15 Year Since launch 7.6% Historical performance (Yearly) on absolute basis
Year Returns 2024 18.7% 2023 14.8% 2022 12% 2021 -4% 2020 24.2% 2019 21.6% 2018 5.8% 2017 1.4% 2016 8.3% 2015 -8.7% Fund Manager information for IDBI Gold Fund
Name Since Tenure Sumit Bhatnagar 1 Jun 24 1.17 Yr. Data below for IDBI Gold Fund as on 31 Jul 25
Asset Allocation
Asset Class Value Cash 0.85% Other 99.15% Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
Name Holding Value Quantity LIC MF Gold ETF
- | -100% ₹174 Cr 199,194
↑ 27,875 Treps
CBLO/Reverse Repo | -3% ₹5 Cr Net Receivables / (Payables)
Net Current Assets | -3% -₹5 Cr 3. HDFC Gold Fund
HDFC Gold Fund
Growth Launch Date 24 Oct 11 NAV (20 Aug 25) ₹29.5916 ↓ -0.08 (-0.28 %) Net Assets (Cr) ₹4,537 on 31 Jul 25 Category Gold - Gold AMC HDFC Asset Management Company Limited Rating ☆ Risk Moderately High Expense Ratio 0.49 Sharpe Ratio 2.5 Information Ratio 0 Alpha Ratio 0 Min Investment 5,000 Min SIP Investment 300 Exit Load 0-6 Months (2%),6-12 Months (1%),12 Months and above(NIL) Growth of 10,000 investment over the years.
Date Value 31 Jul 20 ₹10,000 31 Jul 21 ₹8,862 31 Jul 22 ₹9,268 31 Jul 23 ₹10,643 31 Jul 24 ₹12,372 31 Jul 25 ₹17,156 Returns for HDFC Gold Fund
absolute basis
& more than 1 year are on CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate)
basis. as on 20 Aug 25 Duration Returns 1 Month 0.4% 3 Month 5.1% 6 Month 13% 1 Year 35% 3 Year 22.5% 5 Year 12.1% 10 Year 15 Year Since launch 8.2% Historical performance (Yearly) on absolute basis
Year Returns 2024 18.9% 2023 14.1% 2022 12.7% 2021 -5.5% 2020 27.5% 2019 21.7% 2018 6.6% 2017 2.8% 2016 10.1% 2015 -7.3% Fund Manager information for HDFC Gold Fund
Name Since Tenure Arun Agarwal 15 Feb 23 2.46 Yr. Nandita Menezes 29 Mar 25 0.34 Yr. Data below for HDFC Gold Fund as on 31 Jul 25
Asset Allocation
Asset Class Value Cash 1.39% Other 98.61% Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
Name Holding Value Quantity HDFC Gold ETF
- | -100% ₹4,280 Cr 518,569,445
↑ 21,282,499 Net Current Assets
Net Current Assets | -0% -₹14 Cr Treps - Tri-Party Repo
CBLO/Reverse Repo | -0% ₹6 Cr 4. SBI Gold Fund
SBI Gold Fund
Growth Launch Date 12 Sep 11 NAV (20 Aug 25) ₹28.9489 ↓ -0.08 (-0.26 %) Net Assets (Cr) ₹4,740 on 31 Jul 25 Category Gold - Gold AMC SBI Funds Management Private Limited Rating ☆☆ Risk Moderately High Expense Ratio 0.3 Sharpe Ratio 2.53 Information Ratio 0 Alpha Ratio 0 Min Investment 5,000 Min SIP Investment 500 Exit Load 0-1 Years (1%),1 Years and above(NIL) Growth of 10,000 investment over the years.
Date Value 31 Jul 20 ₹10,000 31 Jul 21 ₹8,893 31 Jul 22 ₹9,337 31 Jul 23 ₹10,723 31 Jul 24 ₹12,421 31 Jul 25 ₹17,329 Returns for SBI Gold Fund
absolute basis
& more than 1 year are on CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate)
basis. as on 20 Aug 25 Duration Returns 1 Month 0.3% 3 Month 4.9% 6 Month 13% 1 Year 34.9% 3 Year 22.7% 5 Year 12.2% 10 Year 15 Year Since launch 7.9% Historical performance (Yearly) on absolute basis
Year Returns 2024 19.6% 2023 14.1% 2022 12.6% 2021 -5.7% 2020 27.4% 2019 22.8% 2018 6.4% 2017 3.5% 2016 10% 2015 -8.1% Fund Manager information for SBI Gold Fund
Name Since Tenure Raviprakash Sharma 12 Sep 11 13.89 Yr. Data below for SBI Gold Fund as on 31 Jul 25
Asset Allocation
Asset Class Value Cash 1.19% Other 98.81% Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
Name Holding Value Quantity SBI Gold ETF
- | -100% ₹4,419 Cr 536,211,834
↑ 29,700,000 Net Receivable / Payable
CBLO | -1% -₹27 Cr Treps
CBLO/Reverse Repo | -0% ₹17 Cr 5. Nippon India Gold Savings Fund
Nippon India Gold Savings Fund
Growth Launch Date 7 Mar 11 NAV (20 Aug 25) ₹37.888 ↓ -0.11 (-0.28 %) Net Assets (Cr) ₹3,248 on 31 Jul 25 Category Gold - Gold AMC Nippon Life Asset Management Ltd. Rating ☆☆ Risk Moderately High Expense Ratio 0.35 Sharpe Ratio 2.48 Information Ratio 0 Alpha Ratio 0 Min Investment 5,000 Min SIP Investment 100 Exit Load 0-1 Years (2%),1 Years and above(NIL) Growth of 10,000 investment over the years.
Date Value 31 Jul 20 ₹10,000 31 Jul 21 ₹8,864 31 Jul 22 ₹9,276 31 Jul 23 ₹10,629 31 Jul 24 ₹12,270 31 Jul 25 ₹17,126 Returns for Nippon India Gold Savings Fund
absolute basis
& more than 1 year are on CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate)
basis. as on 20 Aug 25 Duration Returns 1 Month 0.4% 3 Month 4.9% 6 Month 13% 1 Year 34.8% 3 Year 22.3% 5 Year 12% 10 Year 15 Year Since launch 9.7% Historical performance (Yearly) on absolute basis
Year Returns 2024 19% 2023 14.3% 2022 12.3% 2021 -5.5% 2020 26.6% 2019 22.5% 2018 6% 2017 1.7% 2016 11.6% 2015 -8.1% Fund Manager information for Nippon India Gold Savings Fund
Name Since Tenure Himanshu Mange 23 Dec 23 1.61 Yr. Data below for Nippon India Gold Savings Fund as on 31 Jul 25
Asset Allocation
Asset Class Value Cash 1.38% Other 98.62% Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
Name Holding Value Quantity Nippon India ETF Gold BeES
- | -100% ₹3,128 Cr 391,081,739
↑ 8,330,000 Net Current Assets
Net Current Assets | -0% -₹12 Cr Triparty Repo
CBLO/Reverse Repo | -0% ₹10 Cr Cash Margin - Ccil
CBLO | -0% ₹0 Cr Cash
Net Current Assets | -0% ₹0 Cr 00
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Research Highlights for Aditya Birla Sun Life Gold Fund