World Gold Council and OCIM Metals & Mining Partner to Drive Collective Action for Responsible ASGM

London, UK and Geneva, Switzerland — [5^th August 2026] — The World Gold Council (WGC) and OCIM Metals and Mining SA (OMM), part of OCIM Group, today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishing a framework for collaboration to support the formalization of the artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) sector.

The partnership brings together the World Gold Council’s expertise in standards development, best practices, and gold market infrastructure with OMM’s experience in building and operating centralized processing plants that enable responsible and traceable gold production. Through the MoU, the organizations will work together to advance shared goals of improving conditions within the ASGM sector, reducing illicit activity, and creating greater opportunities for legitimate ASGM production to enter the formal global supply chain.

Artisanal and small-scale mining supports the livelihoods of over 20 million people worldwide, yet much of the sector continues to operate outside formal systems. The World Gold Council’s vision for ASGM formalization is centered on three key pillars: origin verification technology to validate the source of gold, centralized processing plants that improve recovery rates and enhance supply chain transparency, and stronger participation by legitimate buyers to help displace illicit actors and reward responsible mining practices.

This partnership will help create more opportunities for formalization with OCIM Group centralized processing plants expertise. OCIM Group sources ore from artisanal and small-scale miners and processes it into doré bars that meet institutional standards, applying documented due diligence and traceability. This upstream control also curbs the harms long associated with the sector, from mercury pollution and unsafe working conditions to undeclared production and illicit trade. Its two plants in Peru show that this can draw miners into the formal economy through a business that pays its own way, rather than through subsidy.

To date, OMM has formalized and onboarded +200 small scale mining partners via a comprehensive upstream KYC process aligned with responsible sourcing requirements and industry standards, and acquired two processing plants, Victoria and Yacari through its subsidiary, Soleil Metals. OCIM Metals and Mining expect a gold production of 1,000 kg by end of 2026. Its facilities benefit from an industrial capacity of up to 100,000 tons per year, positioning the company to scale operations while ensuring full traceability and banking-grade compliance throughout the ASGM value chain.

Under the agreement, WGC and OMM will explore collaboration across several areas of mutual interest. These include supporting the development of internationally recognized standards for processing plants, contributing to blueprint frameworks that can guide ASGM formalization efforts in different countries, and facilitating dialogue with governments, investors, and other stakeholders interested in developing responsible processing plant infrastructure.

The collaboration will also support the World Gold Council’s Gold Processing Initiative (GPI), which seeks to develop pilot programs in host countries that can serve as practical models for ASGM formalization. Drawing on its experience through Soleil Metals in Peru, where gold purchased from artisanal and small-scale miners is processed under established legal, social, environmental, and compliance requirements, OMM will contribute operational insights to help shape scalable solutions for other jurisdictions.

“Formalization is one of the most important ways to improve outcomes for artisanal and small-scale miners,” said David Tait, Chief Executive Officer of the World Gold Council. “By combining the World Gold Council’s expertise in standards, policy, and market infrastructure with OCIM Metals and Mining’s practical experience in operating responsible processing plants, we can help create solutions that support miners, encourage transparency, reduce illicit activity, and increase the flow of responsibly produced gold into formal markets.”

Laurent Mathiot, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of OCIM Group, added: “The Gold Processing Initiative starts from a premise we recognise from experience: that the plant is where the chain can be brought under control. It is where miners find a reason and a route to formalise, and where every supplier and every batch is verified before the gold reaches the market. This is how we operate in Peru, and we are proud to contribute that experience to the standard the World Gold Council is now building with the sector.”

A key focus of the partnership will be supporting the development of a global standard for ASGM processing plants. The standard is expected to address operational requirements, miner due diligence and screening, traceability technology, environmental and occupational health and safety performance, and assurance mechanisms. WGC and OMM will seek to advance this work in collaboration with other industry stakeholders, international standard setters, and civil society organizations.

Recognizing the importance of coordinated industry action, both organizations will also seek alignment with existing initiatives designed to improve ASGM practices and increase access to responsible markets. The partnership reflects a shared commitment to fostering practical, scalable solutions that can support miners, governments, and industry participants working to build more transparent and sustainable gold supply chains.