BEIJING -- China's gold consumption edged up in the first quarter of 2026, mainly driven by the strong demand for gold bars and coins, data from the China Gold Association showed on Saturday.

The country's gold consumption totaled 303.29 metric tons in the first three months of the year, up 4.41 percent year-on-year, according to the data.

In breakdown, consumption for gold bars and coins surged 46.4 percent to 202.06 tons, while gold jewelry consumption fell 37.1 percent to 84.62 tons.

Q1 also witnessed robust inflows into gold exchange-traded funds (ETF), which added 50.44 tons during the period, surging 114.88 percent year-on-year and lifting total ETF holdings to 298.29 tons by the end of March, according to the data.