‘The dollar is losing credibility’: why central banks are scrambling for gold

Experts say central banks are increasingly stuffing their vaults as an insurance policy in a volatile world

Fifteen minutes after takeoff, the call came for Serbia's central bank governor: millions of dollars' worth of gold bars, destined for a high-security Belgrade vault, had been left on the runway of a Swiss airport.

In air freight - despite the extraordinary value of bullion - fresh flowers, food and other perishables still take priority. We learned this the hard way," Jorgovanka Tabakovi told a conference late last year.