The Reserve, a state-of-the-art gold storage facility located near Singapore’s Changi Airport, has witnessed an unprecedented surge in demand for its services. Gregor Gregersen opened this remarkable six-story facility. It features private vaults and a storage chamber filled with thousands of safe deposit boxes, made to cater to high-net-worth customers seeking a safe environment to house their valuable metals.
Just in 2023, The Reserve experienced an astounding 88% increase in orders for secure gold and silver storage from January through April. This huge uptick was measured against the same period in 2024. The facility is now home to about $1.5 billion worth of gold and silver bars on deposit. This remarkable haul cements Singapore’s standing as the number one destination for the mega-rich looking to insulate their fortune from deepening economic and geopolitical turmoil.
The Reserve is perhaps most known for its heavy security, with bulwarks set in onyx. On top of that, it enjoys a halo effect from Singapore’s status as the “Geneva of the East.” This title is a testament to the country’s political and economic stability, bringing along a great wave of foreign clients. Most impressively, 90% of new orders at The Reserve are from overseas, a tremendous testament to the strength of international investor demand for property in Singapore.
Gregor Gregersen, founder and CEO of silvr.road, provided first-hand perspective into the trends motivating HNW clients to explore options for secure storage. He emphasized that everyone is starting to feel more concerned about tariffs and shifting politics around the world. This worry is pushing them to look for safe havens for their tangible assets.
“A lot of very high net worth clients are looking at tariffs, looking at the world changing, looking at the potential of geopolitical instabilities,” – Gregor Gregersen
The broader move to store gold offshore is accelerating with the rise of Singapore, surpassing established centers of Switzerland and Dubai. Clients love Singapore for its political stability and security, they’re drawn by the easy process to get there.
As market consultant John Reade noted, when compared to Dubai, Singapore has a far more straightforward approach to gold storage. As he put it, “Dubai is maybe a tad more documentation-heavy, where documentation — some people just don’t like documentation. This longing to avoid bureaucratic headaches has helped make Singapore ever more attractive for the ultra-rich.
Additionally, many gold holders report a lack of faith in banking sectors, even when the gold is deposited in those banks. They would much rather use third-party warehouses such as The Reserve for their storage operations. Reade pointed out that this trend is even more acute among investors coming from areas where banking is less secure due to political turbulence.
“Some holders of physical precious metals are wary of storing gold within the banking system, even in allocated form, so they prefer to hold gold with entities that are not banks,” – John Reade
The recent global economic upheaval has further accelerated this move toward securing physical assets. Spot gold prices are near all-time highs at $3,346.32 per ounce. For these reasons, many investors today see gold as more than just a commodity. It has become a safe haven in times of unexpected risk.
Jeremy Savory, another industry expert, corroborated the view that Singapore’s strategic location enhances its attractiveness as a gold storage hub. Among his points about the perks of having a home base in a transit hub. Our convenient downtown location allows our clients convenient and direct access to their assets.
“You can bank, you can store your gold there, but you can also pick it up [easily] because it’s a transit hub. And this is where Switzerland is losing out,” – Jeremy Savory