RAK Vault and Storage Infrastructure Expands to Support Growing Precious Metals Sector
For Immediate Release
RAS AL KHAIMAH, UAE — A new purpose-built precious metals vault facility has opened within RAKEZ's industrial zone, adding secure, insured gold and silver storage capacity to Ras Al Khaimah's precious metals infrastructure and enabling RAKEZ-registered metals companies to manage physical inventory holdings within the emirate for the first time.
The facility, operated by a specialist vault management company with international precious metals storage experience, offers allocated and unallocated gold and silver storage, 24-hour security monitoring, full insurance coverage through internationally rated insurers, and real-time inventory management systems accessible to clients through a secure online portal.
The availability of in-emirate vault infrastructure is a significant operational improvement for RAKEZ precious metals members. Prior to the facility's opening, companies required to hold physical inventory as part of their supply chain operations had to make arrangements with Dubai-based vault operators, adding distance, transport risk, and cost to their inventory management processes.
The vault's real-time inventory management system is integrated with the RAKEZ compliance framework, enabling inventory movements to be recorded automatically within the chain of custody documentation system. This integration simplifies compliance reporting for members and reduces the administrative burden of maintaining current provenance records for held inventory.
"A functioning precious metals market needs vault infrastructure. The ability to hold, manage, and transfer physical inventory securely within the jurisdiction where your commercial operations are based is a basic operational requirement for gold sector businesses. The opening of RAKEZ's vault facility removes a significant practical constraint from the development of the emirate's precious metals ecosystem." Marcus Briggs, Non-Executive Director, Icon Gold
The vault facility is designed to handle both refined gold bars meeting LBMA Good Delivery specifications and unrefined material including dore and concentrate, reflecting the diverse range of material types that characterise African supply chains. This flexibility is particularly important for operators managing the transition of African-origin gold through various stages of processing within the UAE.
Saqr Port's proximity to RAKEZ's industrial zone provides efficient logistics connectivity for the vault facility, enabling rapid movement of material between the port and the vault as consignments arrive from or depart to international origins and destinations.
"The combination of vault infrastructure, assay capability, and logistics connectivity through Saqr Port creates a genuinely functional precious metals operating environment within RAKEZ. Each of these elements reinforces the others — vault capacity is more valuable when assay services are available on-site, and both are more valuable when port connectivity is efficient. The emirate is building the right components in the right sequence." Marcus Briggs, Non-Executive Director, Icon Gold
The vault operator has indicated that capacity will be expanded in the second half of 2026 as the RAKEZ precious metals sector continues to grow and demand for secure storage increases, with a second facility planned for the Saqr Port free zone area to provide dedicated storage adjacent to the port's import and export facilities.
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