Why Switzerland shapes the world of precious metals
When we think of Switzerland, chocolate, watches and perhaps banks come to mind. What many do not know: Switzerland is the global center of the gold processing. A large portion of the world’s mined gold finds its way here. Although no gold has been mined in Swiss soil since 1961 – when the last commercial gold mine in Ticino closed – a massive share of the world’s extracted precious metal passes through Switzerland. With a global market share of around 80% in the physical gold trade, Switzerland is one of the most important hubs of this valuable industry.
Where the world processes its Gold
In southern Ticino lies one of the most significant industrial clusters in the world. Around Balerna, Mendrisio, and Castel San Pietro are three of the four largest gold refineries worldwide. Together with a fourth player in Western Switzerland, they process up to 70% of the globally mined gold.
These “Big Four” stand for precision and reliability—mostly in the background, but with a global impact.
“Gold mostly moves invisibly, but in enormous quantities. This requires a perfectly coordinated interplay of logistics, security, and experience.”
– Claudio Berger, Brand Ambassador at Helveticor
A Location with History and Strategy
The fact that this industry developed in Switzerland is no coincidence. While Europe was marked by uncertainty in the 20th century, the country remained stable and neutral.
Switzerland’s major banks recognized this potential early on. In the post-war decades, institutions like Credit Suisse invested directly in the refineries (such as temporarily in Valcambi) to convert the precious metal directly on-site into standardized, globally tradable bars.
At the same time, the global center of the jewelry industry flourished in directly adjacent Northern Italy. Ticino thus became the ideal geographical and logistical bridge for this value chain. Today, this infrastructure still benefits from state-of-the-art security standards: Helveticor is positioned precisely for this reason with its own strategically important high-security vault directly in Balerna.
More Than a Store of Value
Gold is not only a symbol of stability, but also an indispensable technological raw material. Its properties make it essential for modern electronics—not out of prestige, but out of necessity.
Excellent conductivity & corrosion resistance: Unlike copper or silver, gold does not oxidize. Contacts remain permanently clean and conduct electrical signals absolutely free of interference, even at minimal voltages.
The heart of our everyday media: Every modern smartphone contains about 20 to 50 milligrams of gold. It is found in SIM cards, memory contacts, microprocessors, circuit tracks, and sensitive connectors. Without gold, our communication devices would be more unreliable and significantly shorter-lived.
From space travel to medicine: Due to its extreme durability, gold protects sensitive circuit boards in satellites from the extreme temperatures of space as well as from aggressive cosmic radiation. In medicine, due to its biocompatibility, it is used for implants, modern diagnostic rapid tests, and even in cancer research in the form of nanoparticles, where gold particles transport medications directly to tumors.
Since gold is imperishable, recycling plays an increasingly important role: today, around 200 grams of pure gold can already be recovered from a single ton of electronic waste.
Secure, Precise, Globally Networked
“I had the opportunity to get to know this world early on—back then in precious metals trading at Credit Suisse. What fascinates me to this day is the precision, the discretion, and the trust. Gold mostly moves invisibly, but in enormous quantities. This requires a perfectly coordinated interplay of logistics, security, and experience. Companies like us, Helveticor, ensure that these sensitive processes function smoothly and securely worldwide.”
– Claudio Berger
An Industry in the Background – With a Global Impact
Claudio Berger accompanies companies in this environment. In doing so, it becomes clear: it is not just about metal, but about relationships, millimeter-precise logistics, and uncompromising security. Trust is the actual currency of this industry.
