Bullion Vault's more than 65,000 users collectively own $1.5 billion of gold bullion.

Gold investing demand last month recorded the strongest January since 2012, according to new data from online gold and silver market Bullion Vault.

Net gold investing demand on the precious metals platform totalled 0.4 tonnes last month, Bullion Vault said in a statement yesterday.

Client holdings reached a record high of 37.6 tonnes – more than most of the world’s central banks hold, according to Bullion Vault. This surge came after 2016 saw the strongest full-year demand for gold from Bullion Vault users since 2012.

January’s heightened gold demand came as metal enjoyed its fastest one-month price jump since the UK referendum last summer, gaining 4.6 per cent against the US dollar. Meanwhile, silver on Bullion Vault saw its most inflated January demand since 2013.

Bullion Vault clients bought an additional 4.2 tonnes of silver last month, taking their total holdings to a new record of 650.9 tonnes, a year-on-year increase of 103 tonnes.

"The financial and political risks building in 2016 have started to become reality. Gold investing demand has risen with prices as Trump takes office, the UK moves to trigger Article 50, and European politicians start campaigning ahead of this year's key elections," said Adrian Ash, head of research at Bullion Vault.