Gold Is Certified Clean From Desks, Times Report Says

The New York Times published on October 19, 2026, an account of gold regulation that looks at criminals and child exploitation in gold mines. The New York Times According to the paper's description of its reporting, gold is vouched for as clear of rights abuses and criminality through several layers of approval, by people who do so without leaving their desks. Gold is traded internationally, so assurances recorded in one place can travel with the metal to buyers elsewhere.

That approval work involves accreditors, bodies that assess refiners, the plants that process mined metal for onward sale. The London Bullion Market Association is described as a top accreditor in that field. Reuters It was due to appear before London's High Court, the court in England and Wales that hears serious civil claims, on October 7 to defend itself against a claim that it owed a duty. A question of duty in this setting concerns whether an accreditor had a legal obligation toward people affected by mining.

Questions about sourcing have been raised before. An earlier Times investigation, titled "Dirty Gold," found that the United States and Canadian mints, the official makers of coins, had bought gold that came from a Colombian drug cartel. The New York Times

Child labour in small-scale mining has drawn attention from governments. Tanzania's government has stated it was committed to stamping out child labour in small-scale gold mines. Reuters The Times account brings those threads together, examining how metal linked to exploitation and crime can carry assurances as it moves toward buyers.