麻豆约拍

Gold is one of the rarest and most sought after metals in the world. And now it seems even the vaults where it is stored are in high demand. China's ICBC Standard Bank, the world's biggest bank by assets, is buying a huge facility in a secret location in London. It will be the first Chinese lender to own a gold vault in the city and the deal with Barclays Bank is seen as evidence of China's growing influence over the pricing and storage of precious metals. China accounts for more than a quarter of global gold demand but trading remains centred out of London and New York. Jonathan Spall is a commodities expert and founder of G Cubed Metals. He's visited the secret vault and told Susannah Streeter about the top security surrounding it.

(Picture: Gold bars. Picture credit: Getty Images.)