The International Monetary Fund has completed the sale of 403.3 tonnes of gold, as part of its two-year efforts to bolster the lender's finances that also saw India's central bank purchasing 200 tonnes of the precious metal last year.

The multilateral lender's executive board in April 2008 proposed to sell 403.3 tonnes of its gold holdings and the proceeds would be utilised to offer concessional loans to low income nations, among others.

On Tuesday, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said it has completed the limited gold sales programme, which was approved by the executive board in September 2009. "All gold sales were at market prices, including direct sales to official holders," the lender said in a statement without disclosing details of final sales.

"These sales are a central element of the new income model for the IMF... They will also increase the Fund's capacity to support low-income countries," it added.

India bought 200 tonnes of gold from the IMF late last year for about $6.7 billion. The transaction was carried out over two weeks from October 19-30, 2009.

As part of the programme, other countries that bought gold include Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Mauritius.

Each of these nations had purchased ten tonnes of the precious metal. In the wake of the global financial turmoil in 2008-09, IMF has been playing a key role in rejuvenating the system and has extended billions of dollars worth assistance to countries such as Greece and Ireland.