HONG KONG — The 21st-century version of the Gold Rush is becoming so sophisticated and convenient that soon all you will have to do, if you live in the right place, is put your card in the normal slot of a special ATM machine, punch in your password, and out will tumble not boring paper currency but rather gold bars (guaranteed genuine 24 karat), or gold coins of Krugerrands, Kangaroos or Maple Leaves.
Last week a gold ATM opened in Berlin, one of more than a handful of "GOLD to Go" (registered trademark) dispensers springing up in major cities worldwide, including Frankfurt airport, Abu Dhabi, Bergamo, Madrid and Munich.
Thomas Geissler, chief executive of Ex Oriente Lux, the German company that owns GOLD to Go, says there will be 35 machines installed this year and "a couple of hundred" next year. The United States, in Florida and Las Vegas, will get machines next month. China and India have expressed interest and are on the list for next year.