Resources

This brochure is meant for sharing with representatives of commercial banks that may be interested in investing in artisanal and small-scale gold mining operations. It gives an overview of the sector and its financing needs, business opportunities, ways to de-risk the sector, and additional resources on the topic.

The comparative analysis detailed in this document draws learnings from efforts undertaken by nine planetGOLD countries participating in the first phase of the programme, by highlighting similarities and differences between different geographic and regulatory environments. This analysis draws on detailed case studies of these country experiences.

View the case studies here

This report examines the relationship between national fiscal regimes and the formality of the artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) sector. Specifically, the study attempts to determine whether and to what extent a country’s fiscal regime – the total of taxes, fees, and royalties – acts as significant factor pushing ASGM producers and exporters into informality. The report addresses the production segment of the gold supply chain from the commercialisation segment and focusses specifically on nine planetGOLD countries: Burkina Faso, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Indonesia, Kenya, Mongolia, the Philippines, and Peru. 

Artisanal and small-scale gold mining's predominantly informal nature, regulatory constraints, financial limitations, and difficulties in meeting compliance standards all present challenges for miners to access formal markets. This report assesses the efficacy of planetGOLD ASGM supply chain mechanisms — focusing on experiences from country projects funded during the program's first phase, with the objective of distilling key insights for similar ASGM market access initiatives.

Also available in French and Spanish.

This report provides guidance for planetGOLD ASGM entities to conform with the planetGOLD Criteria for Environmentally and Socially Responsible Operations, specifically one criterion that requires ASGM entities to consult with and seek free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) from any Indigenous or tribal community whose rights or lands may be impacted. 

Also available in French and Spanish

This document provides an overview of the interventions that have been carried out across the planetGOLD programme as of June 2023 to advance responsible mining and eliminate mercury from the ASGM gold supply chain, through technology transfer, technical support, training, and sharing knowledge on best practices in mercury-free gold processing.

When artisanal and small-scale miners produce gold observing relevant environmental, social and governance standards, practical barriers to accessing international markets typically still remain. This report aims to inform the funders, leaders, and managers of existing and planned ASGM Market Access Initiatives, to highlight the impediments such initiatives face in establishing a flow of formal responsible ASM gold into international markets.

The gap in applicable guidance for cyanide management in the artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) sector requires urgent attention, especially considering cyanide’s accessibility and effectiveness at gold extraction, and in light of the trend in uptake of cyanidation in the small-scale gold mining sector worldwide. The purpose of this document is to address this gap by providing written guidance for ASGM stakeholders on managing the risks of cyanidation where national legal and regulatory frameworks permit its use, in the context of the ASGM sector’s transition from mercury use.

This issue brief originally published in 2020 and updated in 2024 reviews past experiences with delivering financial and allied services to the artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) sector and examines existing barriers to attracting formal finance and investment in the sector. It concludes with recommended interventions for governments, donors and other allies to help improve ASGM’s access to formal finance in the future. 

Click here to access the issue brief in French or Spanish.