About Baird & Co
Overview
Baird & Co. is a UK-based bullion merchant and refinery that primarily deals in physical precious metals such as gold, silver, platinum, palladium, and rhodium. Founded in 1967 (per its website), the company operates from London with a showroom in Hatton Garden. Despite being registered as a company in 2019, the firm claims a longer operational history as a family-owned business.
Baird & Co. is not a retail forex or CFD broker. Instead, it focuses on the purchase, storage, and sale of bullion for individual and institutional clients. Its services include trading, manufacturing, refining, vaulting, and investment advisory. The company’s official website is bairdmint.com.
Regulation and Licensing
Our review found that Baird & Co. does not hold any financial regulator licences for forex or CFD trading. It is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK, nor any other regulatory body for leveraged trading. The company’s registration as a UK limited company does not equate to financial services regulation.
Traders should note that Baird & Co. is not supervised by any financial regulator for the purposes of retail forex or CFD brokerage. The absence of such oversight is a significant factor for anyone considering using this firm for trading activities, though it may be legitimate for bullion sales.
Products and Instruments
Baird & Co. offers physical bullion products in gold, silver, platinum, palladium, and rhodium. It does not offer leveraged forex pairs, CFDs, cryptocurrencies, or other derivative instruments. The company also provides allocated and unallocated precious metal accounts, as well as pension scheme (SIPP/SASS) accounts for holding investment-grade gold.
According to its website, the firm offers buy-back services, vaulting, and investment advisory. It does not appear to offer any trading platforms or online trading capabilities beyond account management and order placement.
Account Types and Opening
The company provides several account types: personal accounts, business retail accounts, and business supplier of recycled metals accounts. Customers can apply online or via downloadable application forms. The account opening process requires identification documents, and customers must agree to the firm’s terms and conditions.
Baird & Co. also offers allocated accounts for specific bars/coins and unallocated accounts where the metal is pooled. For pension purposes, it offers SIPP/SASS accounts. The minimum investment amounts are not clearly stated on the website, but account inactivity fees and other terms are outlined in the terms and conditions.
Deposits and Withdrawals
Payment options include bank transfer and possibly other methods as stated in the FAQ. The company requires valid photo ID for all purchases. For physical withdrawal of bullion, customers can arrange collection from the showroom or delivery. The terms and conditions detail procedures for transferring metal to allocated accounts or third parties.
Baird & Co. states that orders have a 2-3 business day lead time for dispatch. The firm also has a refund policy and dispute resolution process, as noted in its terms and conditions.
Target Audience
Baird & Co. appears to target UK-based individuals and businesses seeking to buy, store, or sell physical precious metals. Its services cater to precious metal investors, including those using pension accounts. The company also serves industrial clients who supply recycled metals.
It is not aimed at retail forex traders or those looking for leveraged trading instruments. The firm’s focus on bullion makes it a specialist in the physical metals space rather than a diversified financial broker.
Overview compiled by FXCanary from regulatory records and public data. full Baird & Co review