The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated economic distress in the country. As income levels fell and businesses were affected due to economic slowdown and then the outbreak of the pandemic, gold loan companies have come to the rescue of people who faced acute distress and needed money in hand. Alexander George Muthoot, joint managing director of The Muthoot Group, which is market leader in providing gold loans, talks about the recent trends seen in the sector and says that gold monetisation has helped many individuals, families and entrepreneurs who wanted to restart their business after the lockdowns in a big way. Edited excerpts: