The present disclosure is directed to a gold recovery process in which activated carbon or another carbon-based material is used to accelerate thiosulfate leaching of gold from a gold-bearing material. In some embodiments, the gold recovery process comprises providing particulate activated carbon or another carbon-based material, providing a precious metal-bearing material, contacting the precious metal-bearing material with the particulate carbon-based material, thiosulfate, an anion exchange resin, and an oxidant to form a slurry comprising a slurried precious metal-bearing material, and leaching a precious metal from the slurried precious metal-bearing material.