Fidelity Gold Refinery (FGR) has appealed to financial institutions to develop affordable and mining-focused financing solutions as it seeks to increase national gold deliveries from a projected 50 tonnes in 2026 to 55 tonnes in 2027.
Speaking during an engagement between miners and financiers, FGR officials said achieving the 55-tonne target would largely depend on improved access to capital, particularly for small-scale and artisanal miners who now contribute the majority of gold delivered to the refinery.
The refinery urged banks to introduce products tailored to the realities of mining operations, including equipment leasing facilities, working capital loans and payment solutions that enable miners to access funds quickly after delivering their gold.
According to FGR, limited access to affordable financing remains one of the biggest obstacles to growth in the sector, restricting investment in mechanisation, production expansion and formal gold deliveries.
The engagement comes as FGR continues to strengthen support services for miners through decentralised infrastructure. The refinery is set to commission the Mberengwa Gold Service Centre in November, bringing gold buying, assaying, processing facilities, equipment access and technical support closer to mining communities.
FGR’s financing push also coincides with the launch of a US$63 million credit facility by the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) and FBC Bank aimed at supporting small-scale miners, a development the refinery described as a positive response to the sector’s funding requirements.
Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) has proposed a delivery-based financing model under which miners’ gold delivery records with FGR could be used to assess creditworthiness, providing an alternative to traditional collateral-based lending.
FGR said stronger collaboration between financial institutions, government and industry players would be key to unlocking higher production levels and achieving the 55-tonne delivery target in 2027.
The refinery added that increased gold output would further consolidate the mineral’s position as Zimbabwe’s largest foreign currency earner while reinforcing its role in supporting the country’s ZiG currency. 
