The Royal Mint has made Royal Mint gold bullion eligible for holding in SIPPS and SSASs.

Through its bullion trading platform, royalmintbullion.com, the 1,000 year old organisation is offering individuals and pension scheme providers access to buy and manage gold held within their SIPPS and SSAS pension schemes via their own user-friendly online account.

The move follows the decision by the Financial Conduct Authority in 2014 to add physical gold bullion to its list of standard assets, meaning that financial advisers can now assist clients wanting to include physical gold in their pension planning through regulated pension schemes, says Royal Mint. The bullion is required to be of a minimum 99.5% purity to be eligible under the scheme and Royal Mint gold bullion has a purity of 99.9%.

Investors have a choice of bullion to hold in their pension, ranging from Royal Mint Refinery 100g and 1kg bars, to Signature Gold – a service that allows customers to purchase and own a fractional amount of a 400oz gold bar. Once bought, the gold is stored in The Royal Mint’s on-site bullion vault storage facility.

Director of bullion at The Royal Mint, Chris Howard, said: “The Royal Mint benefits from a centuries-old reputation as a trusted bullion provider and manufacturer of coins on a global scale.

“The move to make Royal Mint gold bullion available for holding within pension schemes opens us up to a whole new marketplace. This is a natural progression in The Royal Mint’s aim to provide the complete one stop bullion solution.”

Fees for buying Royal Mint Refinery gold bullion bars are 1% + VAT and for Signature Gold 0.5% + VAT.

The Royal Mint’s bullion has not previously been accessible for holding in pensions.