颠覆性提案，黄金交易也要“上链”了

Core Viewpoint - The World Gold Council has proposed a revolutionary plan to launch a physical gold-backed digital token in London, aiming to transform the trading, settlement, and collateralization of gold [2][4]. Group 1: Digital Gold Initiative - The initiative, named "Upstream Digital Gold," is designed to create a next-generation digital ecosystem for gold trading, holding, and collateral functions, initially focusing on the over-the-counter market [5][6]. - The "Gold Bar Integrity" program aims to establish a blockchain-based, tamper-proof database for compliant gold, enhancing transparency and trust in gold investments [5][4]. - The World Gold Council's CEO emphasized that the digital gold initiative seeks to address issues of integrity, accessibility, and tradability in the gold market [4][6]. Group 2: Market Context and Timing - The proposal comes at a time when global central banks have purchased over 1,000 tons of gold annually in recent years, reflecting a significant increase in demand for gold as a safe-haven asset amid rising interest rates and geopolitical risks [7][8]. - The initiative aims to make gold more liquid and usable in financial markets, transitioning it from a "solid gold" asset to a "liquid gold" financial instrument [7][8]. - The current market environment and regulatory changes have created a favorable backdrop for the integration of blockchain technology with physical assets like gold [8]. Group 3: Challenges and Considerations - The digitization of physical assets like gold faces challenges such as standardization issues and high cross-border transfer costs, which could hinder the development of a secondary trading market [9][11]. - Concerns about the authenticity of on-chain assets remain, as the physical nature of gold leads to apprehensions regarding custody risks and the potential for misrepresentation [9][10]. - Unlike stablecoins backed by cash or government bonds, gold's non-standardized nature complicates its tokenization, necessitating the establishment of unified standards and enhanced transparency in custody and delivery systems [11][10].