Brink's: transport and physical storage of precious metals

When purchasing serious quantities of physical precious metals, one fundamental question arises: how do you guarantee the absolute security of your holdings?

At GoldRepublic, we work exclusively with independent, world-class vault custodians. For the secure storage and logistics of your purchased precious metals in the Netherlands and elsewhere, Brink's is our strategic partner.
About Brink's

As a partner of GoldRepublic, Brink's handles the heavily secured transport of your purchased gold and other precious metals right through to long-term and secure storage at vault locations in, among other places, Amsterdam.
Brink's was founded in 1859 and, over the past century and a half, has grown into one of the best-known logistics partners in the precious metals sector worldwide.

Brink's ensures that your precious metals are transported in accordance with military security protocols and stored safely in Brink's vaults.

About Brink's

As a partner of GoldRepublic, Brink's handles the heavily secured transport of your purchased gold and other precious metals right through to long-term and secure storage at vault locations in, among other places, Amsterdam.
Brink's was founded in 1859 and, over the past century and a half, has grown into one of the best-known logistics partners in the precious metals sector worldwide.

Brink's ensures that your precious metals are transported in accordance with military security protocols and stored safely in Brink's vaults.

Brink's precious metals transport

The vulnerability of physical gold always lies in its transport. Brink's solves this risk by keeping the entire transport process in its own hands.

The company uses advanced armored fleet vehicles, continuously monitored satellite connections and heavily armed, specialist teams.

This high-grade secure transport ensures that the gold and silver bars you have purchased are moved directly from the LBMA (London Bullion Market Association) certified refineries to the vault.

Because the precious metal never leaves this closed chain at any point, the integrity of the bars remains beyond dispute. As a result, the market accepts this gold back immediately at all times, without any need for costly, time-consuming re-assays or re-melting. This guarantees you the highest achievable liquidity in the event of a sale, which can once again take place through GoldRepublic.

Brink's storage and vaults

In addition to its logistics arm, Brink's has vault complexes that can withstand the most severe physical and digital threats of today.

If you choose to position your purchased gold or silver in the Netherlands, it is stored in an underground vault environment operated by Brink's in Amsterdam. This heavily secured vault location is equipped with, among other things, seismic sensors, multiple biometric access gates and permanent external monitoring.

Your precious metal is stored here on the basis of allocated storage. This means that you are the legal owner of specific gold or silver bars with unique serial numbers.

The precious metal appears neither on GoldRepublic's balance sheet nor on that of Brink's; it is your full property at all times.

Storage with Brink's or a traditional bank?

Out of habit, some investors consider placing their gold in a vault at a traditional major bank. In the current monetary climate, however, this can entail considerable (and unnecessary) risks.

Banks are part of the central financial system. In times of extreme crisis, they may face capital restrictions, bank holidays or statutory 'bail-in' procedures, in which clients' balances are frozen or used to rescue the institution.

Brink's is not a bank, does not provide loans and is completely decoupled from the banking system. It is a pure, facilitating custodian and logistics specialist.

By keeping your assets outside the banking structure through an independent party such as Brink's, you eliminate systemic risk and retain control over your wealth.

In addition, the full value of your precious metals at Brink's is fully insured against every conceivable risk: from theft to damage. This is done using the highest policies on the London insurance market, such as Lloyd's of London.

Advantages of Brink's

●     Secure transport of your precious metals in line with military security protocols

●     Transport directly from the refinery to the vault

●     Vault complexes that withstand physical and digital threats

●     Your precious metals are registered in your name, so you are the legal owner

●     Full control over your holdings through storage outside the banking system

●     Full insurance against theft and damage

The partnership with GoldRepublic

As the largest independent precious metals firm in the Netherlands, GoldRepublic has a reputation to uphold. We currently have more than $1.7 billion in precious metals under management.

GoldRepublic was, at the time, the very first party in the Netherlands to secure an official license from the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM). Because no licensing category yet existed for the combination of physical gold and storage, we initiated and applied for it ourselves. We have now proudly held this AFM license for 15 years.

This places GoldRepublic among the few parties in the market that adhere to an absolute separation of functions by outsourcing storage exclusively to third parties. Many other parties keep the gold in their own vault locations to save costs. We deliberately opt for the more expensive structure of external safekeeping through partners such as Brink's. This set-up requires greater investment, but it enables us to offer you absolute objectivity and independence.

To make this process watertight, the vault environment is also periodically inspected by an independent, external auditor such as ALS Inspection. They check every bar, every serial number and the exact weight.