Namaste
Pakistan, India, Vietnam, Turkey have banks and accounts that will hold your gold and pay interest rate on the deposit. That is because some transactions require base gold or silver for which in some areas of the world the demand for gold outstrips the supply and there is not as much gold behind the transaction as the costs of the transactions in actual gold.
I do not know the situation in Iran, currently in the US there are no banks that do so but there are some jewelers and mining agreements that effectively is the same as interest on your gold. These are not as safe as banks, but banks in some countries can default. The banks are using your gold to back up very large development loans and real estate ventures that may fail.
This phenomenon is spreading. Why? Well one reason is massive debt due to massive government spending and borrowing for more spending, the actual value of the paper currency is being devalued more and more.
The United States is an example. There comes a point of no return. I predict the US will be one of the early adoptors of allowing banks to take and hold your physical gold in return for interest on that gold, because major ventures which are developments based on an intial huge bank loan will not be able to back the venture and risk with US dollars, the demand will be to back it with gold that the banks do not hold.
This is coming with the next monetary crisis that evebtually will come, in the US it seems many voters cannot understand the risks of government debt until it is too late, and think the guvernment grows money un trees or can confiscate it from "rich people".
The danger in allowing the banks to hold your gold however, is the government itself may steal your gold out of desperation by simply outlawing holding gold and going right into the bank and essentially stealing your wealth at rip off rates.
Personally, I do not buy physical gold for this reason, but definitely have gold investments as part of my portfolio by owning a portion within my portfolio in stocks and shares of gold mines in Africa, but only in very large mining operations which can increase or decrease production based on price per ounce.
Yes gold has dropped, I predicted this as many did, the reason is the "false bubble" has more to do with an overvalued Fed pumped up with stimulus stock market though there have been actual gains as well in the energy field.
It is too late for you to buy stocks in large gold mining operations, you bought physical gold which is clumsy to deal with. But you will be ok. It will drop to just under $1000 dollars an ounce, but as it does not look like the US will control government spending which will only increase due to Obamacare and, well, insanity, there is a crisis looming in about 4 years marked by collapse of the bonds, high interest and inflation all combined, and gold will again sky rocket, probably to $3000 dollars an ounce. You will see banks and loan companies not only offering interest on holding your gold, they will offer debit cards that are backed by physical gold.
Stay put. You have no other choice. But remember, you cannot eat gold. If things get REAL bad, and that is very possible, there won't be someone standing on a street corner ready to buy your gold - you will be robbed before you get two blocks down the street, and there won't be enough funds to local, state and national government to pay police officers to protect you. There won't be any police in that event, they will be protecting their own families from roaming bands of goondas and not your family. Hope you have a big family with guns or your own private security. Hopefully it won't come to that, probably not, but never underestimate the stupidity of many living today who think they are going to get "free bread" on the promises of soft tyranny and despots. Every investment is a form of gambling and nerves, knuwing the world day by day, and savey. There is no "answer". All the best.
Om Namah Sivaya
