MKS Finance

Founding and early development

MKS PAMP traces its origins to two companies: PAMP SA (Produits Artistiques Métaux Précieux), a precious-metals refining and minting business founded in Castel San Pietro, Ticino, Switzerland, in 1977; and MKS (Switzerland) SA, a Geneva-based precious-metals trading company founded in 1979 by Mahmoud Kassem Shakarchi.

In 1981, MKS acquired a majority stake in PAMP, extending the company's activities from precious-metals trading into refining and minting.

Following Mahmoud Shakarchi's death in 1983, his children Karma and Marwan Shakarchi assumed leadership of the company.

International expansion and accreditations

Over the following decades, the company expanded its international presence, establishing offices in financial and precious-metals trading centres including Hong Kong and New York.

In 2003, PAMP was appointed an Approved Referee for the London Good Delivery system by the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA).

Formation of MKS PAMP SA

In 2021, MKS (Switzerland) SA and PAMP SA merged to form MKS PAMP SA, combining the company's trading, refining, fabrication and minting activities within a single corporate structure.

In November 2025, MKS PAMP acquired full ownership of Gold Token S.A. as part of its activities involving tokenised precious-metals products.

Operations

MKS PAMP is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, where its trading and treasury services are based. Its refining and minting operations are located in Castel San Pietro in the Swiss canton of Ticino.

The company operates across precious-metals refining, minting, trading, vaulting and storage, serving financial institutions and other participants in the precious-metals industry. It produces cast and minted bars in gold, silver, platinum and palladium.

MKS PAMP is listed on the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) and London Platinum and Palladium Market (LPPM) Good Delivery Lists. It is also one of a small number of refineries worldwide designated as a Good Delivery Referee by both organisations.

Market Research and commentary

MKS PAMP provides research and commentary on precious metals markets, with its executives and analysts cited by international financial media on precious metals. Nicky Shiels, the company's head of research and metals strategy, has provided analysis on gold, silver and platinum group metals markets to Reuters, Bloomberg, CNBC, The Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal.

Controversies and allegations

Allegations of bribery involving U.S. officials

In 2025, a meeting between Swiss business executives and U.S. President Donald Trump sparked a legal and ethical debate. MKS PAMP's CEO presented Trump with an engraved gold bar, while another executive gifted a Rolex desk clock, during discussions that preceded a U.S.-Swiss tariff agreement. Swiss legal experts noted that Article 322 of the Swiss Criminal Code forbids offering "an undue advantage" to a foreign official to influence official actions. They argued that expensive gifts could be considered an "undue advantage," and that a change in tariff policy could constitute a quid pro quo. MKS PAMP stated the gifts were intended for the Presidential Library and were cleared with White House ethics counsel, asserting full compliance with U.S. and Swiss law. Two Green Party Swiss parliamentarians called for an investigation by the Swiss Attorney-General's office. The Swiss government stated the meeting was a "private initiative".

Environmental and human rights concerns in supply chain

Between 2015 and 2016, gold from Liberia's New Liberty Mine, which experienced significant pollution events (including releases of cyanide and arsenic that contaminated waterways), was shipped to MKS PAMP's refinery in Switzerland. Affected communities reported health issues and filed a complaint with European development banks, leading to a formal mediation process.

In 2022, the Swiss Federal Court ruled against an NGO, the Society for Threatened Peoples, which sought import data from Swiss refiners including MKS PAMP. The Court upheld that such data was protected by tax and business secrecy laws. NGOs criticized the ruling as a setback for supply chain transparency.

Human rights allegations in Burkina Faso

An independent investigation published by CareTaker News Now in 2025 alleged that subcontractors operating in supply chains feeding gold to MKS PAMP in Burkina Faso were linked to violence, including killings and land-grabbing, to control artisanal mining sites.