The 2024 China International Gold Conference is about to kick off. With the theme of "Innovation-driven, Green Development, and Shared Future", the conference will not only become an important window for information release, brand display, new products and new technology promotion in the gold industry at home and abroad, but also promote deeper exchanges inside and outside the industry, share successful experiences, seek common development paths, and promote pragmatic cooperation.
As the general manager of the Asia Pacific region of the World Platinum Investment Association, Deng Weibin was also invited to participate in the conference, which not only demonstrates the high attention and active participation of the platinum investment field in the gold and precious metals market dynamics, but also indicates the new trend of cross-border integration and coordinated development between the two precious metal industries. In an exclusive interview with China Gold News, Deng Weibin shared his insights and forward-looking insights in the field of platinum jewelry and investment with reporters around core topics such as "the current opportunities and challenges faced by the platinum market" and "the unique value of platinum application in the green economy".
Deng Weibin
Deng Weibin, Head of Asia Pacific, World Platinum Investment Association
Platinum jewellery is expected to be a new driver of sales growth
"The platinum market is in a critical period of both opportunities and challenges. By continuously improving product quality, innovating design concepts, and improving the market system, the platinum market is expected to achieve more stable and sustainable development in the future. ”
Deng Weibin said that in the current macroeconomic background, consumer consumption behavior tends to be conservative, which poses certain pressure on the gold jewelry market, especially since 2024, gold prices have continued to rise, further limiting the sales of gold. However, this environment also creates unique opportunities for the platinum market, including jewellery and investment. Platinum, a metal that was historically worth far more than gold, is now only about half the price of gold. This price depression undoubtedly provides an attractive alternative for investors and merchants. At a time when gold prices are high and consumers are looking for a more cost-effective precious metal, platinum is poised to be a new driver of sales growth.
However, Tang pointed out that the platinum jewellery market still needs to address a number of challenges if it is to make the most of this opportunity. Purity enhancement is a top priority, and although the mainstream 950 purity platinum jewellery in the current market has met most needs, upgrading to 999 purity will be an important market highlight to further enhance the value appeal of platinum as a precious metal investment. In addition, with the rise of the cultural revival in mainland China, gold jewellery is popular for its successful integration of "national trend" elements, and the platinum industry needs to keep up with this trend, through design and process innovation, to integrate the unique charm of platinum with the national fashion to meet the growing personalization and aesthetic needs of the Chinese local market. He emphasized: "A diversified and diverse jewellery market will not only help avoid consumer aesthetic fatigue, but also promote the healthy and stable development of the entire industry." ”
Fashionable platinum jewelry
Milestones in the platinum investment market
In the investment space, the platinum market also shows strong growth potential. "In the past few years, our partners have achieved at least a five-fold increase in sales of platinum investment products, and although there are still many restrictions in the market, this achievement has fully demonstrated the attractiveness of platinum investment," Deng Weibin told reporters. ”
This year marks the 7th year that the World Platinum Investment Association has entered the Chinese market. Over the past 7 years, the Association has been on a pioneering mission to develop, market and educate investors on platinum investment products. In terms of building the ecological environment of the industry, the World Platinum Investment Association and the Platinum and Palladium Branch of the China Gold Association communicated and cooperated to promote the release of the group standard of "Platinum Bar Investment". This pioneering measure fills the gap in the national investment platinum bar standard in mainland China, lays a solid foundation for the standardization and standardization of the platinum investment market, and has won wide praise and positive response from the industry. In terms of product marketing and promotion, the World Platinum Investment Association has launched a series of platinum products with partners to meet the needs of different investors, whether it is a low-threshold small gram weight product or a large gram weight choice for high-end investors, all of which are committed to broadening investment channels and stimulating market vitality. In particular, the first platinum bar product launched in depth with China Gold Coin Group, the Year of the Dragon Zodiac Platinum Bar, will further promote the development of the platinum investment market and meet the growing needs of investors.
China Gold Coin Group issues platinum bars for the Year of the Dragon
It is worth mentioning that in terms of market infrastructure construction, the World Platinum Investment Association successfully promoted the preparation of platinum futures on the Guangzhou Futures Exchange, and made a milestone progress during the 2024 Shanghai Platinum Week - the completion of the "Draft Rules for Platinum Palladium Futures Contracts", marking the countdown to the birth of platinum futures products. The launch of this futures product will provide the industry with an efficient price risk management tool to help companies implement hedging strategies to manage market risk. The activity of the futures market will drive the prosperity of the spot market and inject new impetus into the platinum physical investment market. "We look forward to the early launch of this futures product, which will provide effective tools for enterprise risk management, enhance market liquidity, and lead trading behavior towards a more standardized and transparent future." Deng Weibin said.
The platinum industry is leading the country's green transformation
In the context of the mainland's unswerving implementation of the "dual carbon strategic goals", reducing carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality, platinum, as an environmental pioneer, plays an irreplaceable role in the traditional automotive industry, effectively reducing harmful emissions, and its environmental protection value has been widely recognized. At the same time, the vigorous development of the hydrogen energy industry has further highlighted the strategic position of platinum. Platinum group metals are not only key materials in the whole chain of hydrogen production, hydrogen storage, hydrogen transportation, hydrogenation and hydrogen use, but also a bridge to connect the future energy system. At present, pure electric vehicles are leading a wave of the market with their zero-emission characteristics, and hybrid vehicles and extended-range electric vehicles are developing rapidly with their technological advantages, becoming a bridge between the past and the future. Deng Weibin pointed out that looking forward to the next 3 to 5 years, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are expected to usher in explosive growth and become an important force to promote the green revolution in the field of automobile transportation. "This trend will not only profoundly change the way we travel, but also accelerate the optimization and upgrading of the energy structure on a global scale. At the same time, various innovations in the field of automobile transportation will help alleviate the pressure on resources and the challenges caused by international trade frictions, and it is more promising that through technological innovation and international cooperation, we will jointly move towards a win-win sustainable development road. He stressed.
In addition, the fields of platinum are constantly expanding, and its presentation at Shanghai Platinum Week 2024 is particularly eye-catching. In the semiconductor industry, platinum provides strong support for the research and development and application of new semiconductor materials with its high efficiency and stability. In the medical field, new platinum nanomedicines, as advanced drug carriers, are leading targeted therapy to a new level and bringing higher health protection to patients. In the field of new materials, through the combination of platinum group metals and advanced materials technology, such as the research of the PGM@MAX & MXene project, not only new layered compounds have been created, but also the performance of materials in energy storage, catalysis, structural materials and sensing has been significantly improved, injecting new vitality into scientific and technological progress. Deng Weibin pointed out: "The platinum industry is relying on the vigorous development of a number of key industries, showing strong vitality and broad market prospects. With the continuous innovation of technology and the continuous expansion of application fields, platinum will play a more important role in promoting global green transformation and industrial upgrading. ”
At Shanghai Platinum Week, the draft platinum palladium futures contract was released
Looking ahead, Deng Weibin said: "We will continue to deepen the infrastructure construction of the platinum trading and investment market, strengthen exchanges and cooperation between industries, and continue to explore and promote more platinum investment products that meet the needs of the Chinese market, so as to promote platinum, a key natural resource, to achieve 'platinum for the people' and ensure long-term supply capacity." We sincerely invite more companies to join this emerging field full of potential and challenges, and jointly write a new chapter in the platinum industry. I believe that with the joint efforts of everyone, the platinum market will shine more brightly, bringing unprecedented surprises and opportunities to investors. ”