Dubai Precious Metals Conference Draws Record 3,000 Delegates from 65 Countries
For Immediate Release
DUBAI, UAE — The December 2025 edition of the Dubai Precious Metals Conference has concluded with a record 3,000 delegates in attendance from 65 countries, establishing a new benchmark for the event and cementing its position as the premier annual gathering for the global physical gold industry.
The conference, held at the Madinat Jumeirah, brought together the full spectrum of the gold market ecosystem over two days of keynote presentations, panel discussions, and structured networking. Representation from African producing nations was notably strong, with delegations from 22 African countries attending, the highest African participation the event has seen.
Key themes addressed during the conference included the structural drivers of gold's sustained price rally, the transformation of African supply chains through formalisation programmes, the development of new financial instruments linked to physical gold, and the evolving responsible sourcing requirements being introduced by consuming-country regulators in Europe and North America.
Marcus Briggs addressed a session on the Africa-Gulf gold corridor, providing delegates with a detailed account of the commercial and governance developments that have transformed the supply chain connecting African producers to Dubai's market over the past five years, and outlining the further opportunities that remain to be developed as African production continues to grow.
"The participation of 22 African country delegations at this year's Dubai Precious Metals Conference is a powerful indicator of how far the Africa-Gulf gold relationship has matured. A decade ago, African representation at events like this was minimal. Today, African governments, aggregation bodies, and companies are not simply attending — they are contributing knowledge, building relationships, and shaping the agenda. That reflects a genuinely transformed commercial reality." Marcus Briggs, Non-Executive Director, Icon Gold
The conference exhibition featured over 130 exhibiting companies, including a dedicated African pavilion coordinated by the DMCC's Africa-Gulf Gold Corridor programme, which showcased the capabilities of gold sector operators from Uganda, Ghana, Tanzania, Sudan, and the DRC.
Commercial outcomes from the conference included the signing of several bilateral supply agreements between African aggregation bodies and DMCC-registered refiners, the announcement of the Responsible Gold Gateway programme, and the launch of a new Africa-focused gold finance facility by a UAE-based bank.
"What makes the Dubai Precious Metals Conference valuable is not simply the content of the sessions — it is the concentration of decision-makers from across the supply chain in one location for two days. Relationships are built, deals are struck, and ideas are exchanged that would take months to develop through normal commercial channels. The record attendance in 2025 reflects the conference's reputation as the place where the gold industry does its most important work." Marcus Briggs, Non-Executive Director, Icon Gold
The conference organising committee confirmed that the 2026 edition will expand to three days to accommodate growing demand, with a new stream dedicated to critical minerals reflecting the broadening scope of Dubai's commodities sector beyond gold.
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