the World Gold Council to periodically rank and report the gold holdings of countries and official organizations. On 17 July 2015, China announced that it increased its gold reserves by about 57 percent from 1,054 to 1,658 tonnes, while disclosing its official gold reserves for the first time in six years. In July 2015, the State Bank of Vietnam stated that gold reserves totalled 10 tonnes. However, it was not ranked below due to the current absence of any published data. In 2019, the State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ) extended the gold allocation limit from 5% to 10%, in accordance with the amendments made to the Investment Policy of the Fund for diversification purposes. However, the Central Bank of Azerbaijan does not hold any gold. The gold listed for each of the countries in the table may not be physically stored in the country listed, as central banks generally have not allowed independent audits of their reserves. Gold leasing by central banks could place into doubt the reported gold holdings in the table below. Notes See also Gold Reserve (company) Gold as an investment Federal Reserve Bank of New York Foreign exchange reserves Inflation hedge List of countries by gold production Moscow gold, the reserves of the Bank of Spain sent to the Soviet Union during the Spanish Civil War Romanian Treasure, the Romanian gold reserves sent (alongside other valuable objects) to Russia for safekeeping during World War I, but never returned Silver as an investment Strategic Petroleum Reserve (United States) United States Bullion Depository, often known as Fort Knox Vaulted gold Notes References Reserve Reserve