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E-Gold Vs Gold ETFs- Which is a Better Option?

Updated on October 17, 2025 , 30407 views

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-vs-gold-etfs

E- Gold

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

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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E-Gold Vs Gold ETFs: Know the Key Differences

Trading Time

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.

Conversion to Physical Form

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.

E-Gold is the Most Cost

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

Best Gold ETFs to Invest 2025

Some of the best underlying Gold ETFs to Invest are as follows:

1. IDBI Gold Fund

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

  • Bottom quartile AUM (₹254 Cr).
  • Established history (13+ yrs).
  • Not Rated.
  • Risk profile: Moderately High.
  • 5Y return: 20.00% (top quartile).
  • 3Y return: 35.93% (top quartile).
  • 1Y return: 68.84% (top quartile).
  • 1M return: 20.38% (top quartile).
  • Alpha: 0.00 (top quartile).
  • Sharpe: 2.38 (bottom quartile).
  • Information ratio: 0.00 (top quartile).
  • Top bond sector: Cash Equivalent.
  • Largest holding LIC MF Gold ETF (~98.9%).
  • Top-3 holdings concentration ~100.9%.

Below is the key information for IDBI Gold Fund

IDBI Gold Fund
Growth
Launch Date 14 Aug 12
NAV (17 Oct 25) ₹34.2621 ↑ 1.18   (3.58 %)
Net Assets (Cr) ₹254 on 31 Aug 25
Category Gold - Gold
AMC IDBI Asset Management Limited
Rating Not Rated
Risk Moderately High
Expense Ratio 0.64
Sharpe Ratio 2.38
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.

DateValue
30 Sep 20₹10,000
30 Sep 21₹9,217
30 Sep 22₹10,058
30 Sep 23₹11,430
30 Sep 24₹14,833
30 Sep 25₹22,097

IDBI Gold Fund SIP Returns

   
My Monthly Investment:
Investment Tenure:
Years
Expected Annual Returns:
%
Total investment amount is ₹300,000
expected amount after 5 Years is ₹493,520.
Net Profit of ₹193,520
Invest Now

Returns for IDBI Gold Fund

Returns up to 1 year are on absolute basis & more than 1 year are on CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) basis. as on 17 Oct 25

DurationReturns
1 Month 20.4%
3 Month 34%
6 Month 36.9%
1 Year 68.8%
3 Year 35.9%
5 Year 20%
10 Year
15 Year
Since launch 9.8%
Historical performance (Yearly) on absolute basis
YearReturns
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
NameSinceTenure
Sumit Bhatnagar1 Jun 241.25 Yr.

Data below for IDBI Gold Fund as on 31 Aug 25

Asset Allocation
Asset ClassValue
Cash2.08%
Other97.92%
Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
NameHoldingValueQuantity
LIC MF Gold ETF
- | -
99%₹251 Cr270,044
↑ 31,450
Treps
CBLO/Reverse Repo | -
2%₹4 Cr
Net Receivables / (Payables)
CBLO | -
0%-₹1 Cr

2. Aditya Birla Sun Life Gold Fund

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).

Research Highlights for Aditya Birla Sun Life Gold Fund

  • Bottom quartile AUM (₹725 Cr).
  • Established history (13+ yrs).
  • Top rated.
  • Risk profile: Moderately High.
  • 5Y return: 19.13% (bottom quartile).
  • 3Y return: 35.34% (bottom quartile).
  • 1Y return: 67.64% (upper mid).
  • 1M return: 18.90% (lower mid).
  • Alpha: 0.00 (upper mid).
  • Sharpe: 2.66 (top quartile).
  • Information ratio: 0.00 (upper mid).
  • Top bond sector: Cash Equivalent.
  • Largest holding Aditya BSL Gold ETF (~99.9%).
  • Top-3 holdings concentration ~100.4%.

Below is the key information for Aditya Birla Sun Life Gold Fund

Aditya Birla Sun Life Gold Fund
Growth
Launch Date 20 Mar 12
NAV (17 Oct 25) ₹37.974 ↑ 1.09   (2.95 %)
Net Assets (Cr) ₹725 on 31 Aug 25
Category Gold - Gold
AMC Birla Sun Life Asset Management Co Ltd
Rating
Risk Moderately High
Expense Ratio 0.51
Sharpe Ratio 2.66
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.

DateValue
30 Sep 20₹10,000
30 Sep 21₹8,974
30 Sep 22₹9,669
30 Sep 23₹11,048
30 Sep 24₹14,179
30 Sep 25₹21,356

Aditya Birla Sun Life Gold Fund SIP Returns

   
My Monthly Investment:
Investment Tenure:
Years
Expected Annual Returns:
%
Total investment amount is ₹300,000
expected amount after 5 Years is ₹493,520.
Net Profit of ₹193,520
Invest Now

Returns for Aditya Birla Sun Life Gold Fund

Returns up to 1 year are on absolute basis & more than 1 year are on CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) basis. as on 17 Oct 25

DurationReturns
1 Month 18.9%
3 Month 33.6%
6 Month 35.6%
1 Year 67.6%
3 Year 35.3%
5 Year 19.1%
10 Year
15 Year
Since launch 10.3%
Historical performance (Yearly) on absolute basis
YearReturns
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
NameSinceTenure
Priya Sridhar31 Dec 240.67 Yr.

Data below for Aditya Birla Sun Life Gold Fund as on 31 Aug 25

Asset Allocation
Asset ClassValue
Cash1.51%
Other98.49%
Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
NameHoldingValueQuantity
Aditya BSL Gold ETF
- | -
100%₹724 Cr79,896,220
↑ 3,972,596
Clearing Corporation Of India Limited
CBLO/Reverse Repo | -
0%₹2 Cr
Net Receivables / (Payables)
Net Current Assets | -
0%-₹1 Cr

3. SBI Gold Fund

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

  • Highest AUM (₹5,221 Cr).
  • Oldest track record among peers (14 yrs).
  • Rating: 2★ (upper mid).
  • Risk profile: Moderately High.
  • 5Y return: 19.26% (lower mid).
  • 3Y return: 35.55% (lower mid).
  • 1Y return: 67.50% (lower mid).
  • 1M return: 18.52% (bottom quartile).
  • Alpha: 0.00 (lower mid).
  • Sharpe: 2.58 (upper mid).
  • Information ratio: 0.00 (lower mid).
  • Top bond sector: Cash Equivalent.
  • Largest holding SBI Gold ETF (~100.0%).
  • Top-3 holdings concentration ~100.9%.

Below is the key information for SBI Gold Fund

SBI Gold Fund
Growth
Launch Date 12 Sep 11
NAV (17 Oct 25) ₹38.121 ↑ 0.97   (2.60 %)
Net Assets (Cr) ₹5,221 on 31 Aug 25
Category Gold - Gold
AMC SBI Funds Management Private Limited
Rating
Risk Moderately High
Expense Ratio 0.3
Sharpe Ratio 2.58
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.

DateValue
30 Sep 20₹10,000
30 Sep 21₹9,030
30 Sep 22₹9,763
30 Sep 23₹11,132
30 Sep 24₹14,369
30 Sep 25₹21,663

SBI Gold Fund SIP Returns

   
My Monthly Investment:
Investment Tenure:
Years
Expected Annual Returns:
%
Total investment amount is ₹300,000
expected amount after 5 Years is ₹493,520.
Net Profit of ₹193,520
Invest Now

Returns for SBI Gold Fund

Returns up to 1 year are on absolute basis & more than 1 year are on CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) basis. as on 17 Oct 25

DurationReturns
1 Month 18.5%
3 Month 33.2%
6 Month 35.9%
1 Year 67.5%
3 Year 35.5%
5 Year 19.3%
10 Year
15 Year
Since launch 10%
Historical performance (Yearly) on absolute basis
YearReturns
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
NameSinceTenure
Raviprakash Sharma12 Sep 1113.98 Yr.

Data below for SBI Gold Fund as on 31 Aug 25

Asset Allocation
Asset ClassValue
Cash1.46%
Other98.54%
Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
NameHoldingValueQuantity
SBI Gold ETF
- | -
100%₹5,221 Cr593,717,240
↑ 32,905,406
Treps
CBLO/Reverse Repo | -
0%₹23 Cr
Net Receivable / Payable
CBLO | -
0%-₹22 Cr

4. Axis Gold Fund

To generate returns that closely correspond to returns generated by Axis Gold ETF.

Research Highlights for Axis Gold Fund

  • Lower mid AUM (₹1,272 Cr).
  • Established history (14+ yrs).
  • Rating: 1★ (lower mid).
  • Risk profile: Moderately High.
  • 5Y return: 19.54% (upper mid).
  • 3Y return: 35.56% (upper mid).
  • 1Y return: 67.32% (bottom quartile).
  • 1M return: 19.22% (upper mid).
  • Alpha: 0.00 (bottom quartile).
  • Sharpe: 2.57 (lower mid).
  • Information ratio: 0.00 (bottom quartile).
  • Top bond sector: Cash Equivalent.
  • Largest holding Axis Gold ETF (~99.5%).
  • Top-3 holdings concentration ~100.2%.

Below is the key information for Axis Gold Fund

Axis Gold Fund
Growth
Launch Date 20 Oct 11
NAV (17 Oct 25) ₹38.0869 ↑ 1.17   (3.17 %)
Net Assets (Cr) ₹1,272 on 31 Aug 25
Category Gold - Gold
AMC Axis Asset Management Company Limited
Rating
Risk Moderately High
Expense Ratio 0.5
Sharpe Ratio 2.57
Information Ratio 0
Alpha Ratio 0
Min Investment 5,000
Min SIP Investment 1,000
Exit Load 0-1 Years (1%),1 Years and above(NIL)

Growth of 10,000 investment over the years.

DateValue
30 Sep 20₹10,000
30 Sep 21₹9,072
30 Sep 22₹9,818
30 Sep 23₹11,221
30 Sep 24₹14,428
30 Sep 25₹21,617

Axis Gold Fund SIP Returns

   
My Monthly Investment:
Investment Tenure:
Years
Expected Annual Returns:
%
Total investment amount is ₹300,000
expected amount after 5 Years is ₹493,520.
Net Profit of ₹193,520
Invest Now

Returns for Axis Gold Fund

Returns up to 1 year are on absolute basis & more than 1 year are on CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) basis. as on 17 Oct 25

DurationReturns
1 Month 19.2%
3 Month 33.6%
6 Month 36%
1 Year 67.3%
3 Year 35.6%
5 Year 19.5%
10 Year
15 Year
Since launch 10%
Historical performance (Yearly) on absolute basis
YearReturns
2024 19.2%
2023 14.7%
2022 12.5%
2021 -4.7%
2020 26.9%
2019 23.1%
2018 8.3%
2017 0.7%
2016 10.7%
2015 -11.9%
Fund Manager information for Axis Gold Fund
NameSinceTenure
Aditya Pagaria9 Nov 213.81 Yr.
Pratik Tibrewal1 Feb 250.58 Yr.

Data below for Axis Gold Fund as on 31 Aug 25

Asset Allocation
Asset ClassValue
Cash2.14%
Other97.86%
Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
NameHoldingValueQuantity
Axis Gold ETF
- | -
99%₹1,265 Cr147,128,710
↑ 5,400,000
Clearing Corporation Of India Ltd
CBLO/Reverse Repo | -
1%₹8 Cr
Net Receivables / (Payables)
CBLO | -
0%-₹1 Cr

5. HDFC Gold Fund

To seek capital appreciation by investing in units of HDFC Gold Exchange Traded Fund (HGETF).

Research Highlights for HDFC Gold Fund

  • Upper mid AUM (₹4,915 Cr).
  • Established history (14+ yrs).
  • Rating: 1★ (bottom quartile).
  • Risk profile: Moderately High.
  • 5Y return: 19.07% (bottom quartile).
  • 3Y return: 35.36% (bottom quartile).
  • 1Y return: 67.25% (bottom quartile).
  • 1M return: 18.39% (bottom quartile).
  • Alpha: 0.00 (bottom quartile).
  • Sharpe: 2.55 (bottom quartile).
  • Information ratio: 0.00 (bottom quartile).
  • Top bond sector: Cash Equivalent.
  • Largest holding HDFC Gold ETF (~100.0%).
  • Top-3 holdings concentration ~100.6%.

Below is the key information for HDFC Gold Fund

HDFC Gold Fund
Growth
Launch Date 24 Oct 11
NAV (17 Oct 25) ₹38.92 ↑ 0.96   (2.52 %)
Net Assets (Cr) ₹4,915 on 31 Aug 25
Category Gold - Gold
AMC HDFC Asset Management Company Limited
Rating
Risk Moderately High
Expense Ratio 0.49
Sharpe Ratio 2.55
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.

DateValue
30 Sep 20₹10,000
30 Sep 21₹8,979
30 Sep 22₹9,716
30 Sep 23₹11,065
30 Sep 24₹14,244
30 Sep 25₹21,453

HDFC Gold Fund SIP Returns

   
My Monthly Investment:
Investment Tenure:
Years
Expected Annual Returns:
%
Total investment amount is ₹300,000
expected amount after 5 Years is ₹493,520.
Net Profit of ₹193,520
Invest Now

Returns for HDFC Gold Fund

Returns up to 1 year are on absolute basis & more than 1 year are on CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) basis. as on 17 Oct 25

DurationReturns
1 Month 18.4%
3 Month 33.1%
6 Month 35.8%
1 Year 67.2%
3 Year 35.4%
5 Year 19.1%
10 Year
15 Year
Since launch 10.2%
Historical performance (Yearly) on absolute basis
YearReturns
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
NameSinceTenure
Arun Agarwal15 Feb 232.54 Yr.
Nandita Menezes29 Mar 250.43 Yr.

Data below for HDFC Gold Fund as on 31 Aug 25

Asset Allocation
Asset ClassValue
Cash1.62%
Other98.38%
Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
NameHoldingValueQuantity
HDFC Gold ETF
- | -
100%₹4,914 Cr558,222,024
↑ 22,311,579
Treps - Tri-Party Repo
CBLO/Reverse Repo | -
0%₹14 Cr
Net Current Assets
Net Current Assets | -
0%-₹14 Cr

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Disclaimer:
All efforts have been made to ensure the information provided here is accurate. However, no guarantees are made regarding correctness of data. Please verify with scheme information document before making any investment.
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