Core Insights - Early Bitcoin advocate Eric Voorhees has invested $6.81 million in tokenized gold, indicating a shift towards traditional assets amid Bitcoin's price pressures [3][8] - Tether has significantly increased its gold reserves, now estimated at around $23 billion, positioning itself among the top gold holders globally [5][6][8] - The convergence of crypto investments in tokenized gold and Tether's accumulation of physical gold highlights a trend of the crypto sector embracing traditional safe havens [7][8] Group 1: Eric Voorhees' Investment - Voorhees created nine new wallets and purchased 1,382 PAX Gold (PAXG) tokens at an average price of $4,926 [3] - This purchase comes as gold prices are near record highs, reflecting a growing intersection between digital assets and traditional commodities [2][4] Group 2: Tether's Gold Holdings - Tether's gold holdings are reported to be around 148 tonnes, with purchases exceeding those of most individual central banks [5][6] - The firm acquired approximately 26 tonnes in Q4 2025 and an additional 6 tonnes in January, indicating aggressive accumulation strategies [5] Group 3: Market Trends - Gold prices have surged nearly 50% in the last six months due to strong central bank demand and macroeconomic pressures [4] - The actions of crypto investors like Voorhees suggest a tactical shift towards lower-volatility assets, as accessibility to tokenized real-world assets increases [4]

Neils ChristensenNeils Christensen has a diploma in journalism from Lethbridge College and has more than a decade of reporting experience working for news organizations throughout Canada. His experiences include covering territorial and federal politics in Nunavut, Canada. He has worked exclusively within the financial sector since 2007, when he started with the Canadian Economic Press. Neils can be contacted at: 1 866 925 4826 ext. 1526 nchristensen at kitco.com @Neils_cShareDisclaimer: The views expressed ...

Neils ChristensenNeils Christensen has a diploma in journalism from Lethbridge College and has more than a decade of reporting experience working for news organizations throughout Canada. His experiences include covering territorial and federal politics in Nunavut, Canada. He has worked exclusively within the financial sector since 2007, when he started with the Canadian Economic Press. Neils can be contacted at: 1 866 925 4826 ext. 1526 nchristensen at kitco.com @Neils_cShareDisclaimer: The views expressed ...

Core Viewpoint - A surge in gold prices is increasing demand for tokenized gold, a rapidly growing segment of the digital asset market, which presents custody and regulatory risks that are not always addressed [1] Group 1: Market Trends - The rising price of gold is driving interest in tokenized gold, indicating a shift in investment strategies towards digital assets [1] - Tokenized gold is becoming a popular alternative for investors seeking exposure to gold without the need for physical storage [1] Group 2: Risks and Challenges - Experts warn that tokenized gold carries custody risks, which may affect the security of investments [1] - Regulatory risks associated with tokenized gold are also highlighted, suggesting that the market may face scrutiny from financial authorities [1]

Group 1 - Gold has regained popularity as an investment, with significant growth in recent years, particularly through online purchasing methods like tokenized gold and stablecoins [1][3] - Stablecoins are digital tokens backed by a currency or commodity, designed to minimize volatility, and they represent digital ownership of physical assets [2] - Tokenized gold trading is projected to reach $178 billion by 2025, surpassing all U.S. exchange-traded funds (ETFs) except for SPDR Gold Shares, which has $165 billion in assets under management [4] Group 2 - The rise in gold prices is attributed to geopolitical tensions, inflation, and increasing U.S. debt, prompting investors to seek gold as a safe haven [5][6] - U.S. debt has exceeded $38 trillion, with a fiscal deficit of nearly $1.8 trillion reported for fiscal year 2025, raising concerns about the U.S. fiscal situation [6] - Central banks globally are reducing their purchases of U.S. Treasuries, indicating a potential loss of confidence in the U.S. dollar as the world's reserve currency [7]

Galaxy Ventures, a division of Galaxy Digital, led a $7 million seed funding round for Tenbin Labs, a startup building blockchain infrastructure for tokenized gold and foreign exchange markets, with a different approach from the traditional wrapped tokens. The funding round attracted participation from major crypto market makers, including Wintermute Ventures, GSR, and FalconX, as well as venture firms Nascent, Variant, and Bankless Ventures, according to their announcement. Tenbin differentiates itself b ...

Despite gold’s recent surge to record levels beyond $5,000 an ounce, a new gold competitor has emerged: tokenized gold. So what exactly is tokenized gold, and how does it compare with real gold? Also see the best gold exchange-traded funds to watch right now. What Is Tokenized Gold? Tokenized gold is exactly what it sounds like — digital tokens. Specifically, digital tokens traded, settled and deployed on blockchains but backed in value by real, physical gold. Recently, the market for these tokens has ...

Core Insights - The surge in gold and silver prices has led to a significant increase in the value of tokenized gold, reaching over $4 billion, up from approximately $1 billion in January 2025 [1]. Group 1: Tokenized Gold Market Dynamics - Tokenized gold utilizes blockchain technology, ensuring that each token corresponds to physical gold held securely and tracks its market price [2]. - The trading volume for tokenized gold products has seen dramatic increases, with IAUon experiencing a more than 4,900% surge and SLVon seeing over a 3,700% increase in two weeks [3]. Group 2: Investment Behavior and Trends - Traders are increasingly using tokenized gold as a liquid macro hedge rather than a long-term investment, reflecting a shift in how investors perceive gold [4]. - The rise in tokenized gold is part of a broader trend of real-world assets being tokenized, driven by the growth of stablecoins [4]. Group 3: Advantages of Tokenized Gold - Tokenized gold offers advantages such as 24/7 trading, peer-to-peer transferability, and the potential to be used as collateral for loans, providing yields to holders [5]. - Blockchain technology allows physical gold to function as a modern financial asset, enabling it to generate returns for investors instead of incurring holding fees [6]. Group 4: Market Expansion - The market capitalization of tokenized gold is rapidly expanding as bullion prices reach all-time highs, indicating a growing interest in digital representations of gold [7].

Core Insights - In decentralized finance (DeFi), traders previously lacked options during market downturns, primarily relying on stablecoins for liquidity [1] - The recent sell-off in the crypto market on October 10, 2025, resulted in $19 billion in long positions being liquidated, yet stablecoins only saw a modest 2% increase in market cap to over $303 billion [2] - The on-chain commodities sector, particularly tokenized gold, has shown significant growth, with a 27% increase in October alone, contrasting with the overall crypto market decline [3] Market Trends - The on-chain gold sector's market capitalization rose from $2.4 billion to over $2.6 billion between October 9 and October 13, 2025, and has increased from $1 billion at the start of the year to over $3 billion [4] - Gold prices have surged dramatically, from $2,624.49 per troy ounce on January 1 to $4,065.81 on November 18, driven by global political instability and a weakening U.S. dollar [5] - DeFi investors, typically known for higher risk tolerance, are increasingly investing in gold, which is stabilizing the market amid the broader crypto downturn [6]

Market Overview - The crypto market is experiencing a downward trend, with total market capitalization decreasing by 3.17% over the past month due to ongoing sell-offs [1] - Despite this, the tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) sector has shown resilience, with distributed asset value reaching a new all-time high [1] RWA Sector Performance - The RWA sector currently holds $19.06 billion in distributed asset value, reflecting a 4.59% appreciation over the past month [2] - The total represented asset value in the RWA sector is $414.6 billion, largely driven by the Canton Network managing $395.2 billion in institutional assets [3] - The number of asset holders in the RWA sector has increased by 7.23%, reaching 583,821 [3] Stablecoins and Tokenized Assets - Stablecoins dominate the RWA sector, with a total value of $299.17 billion and 212.54 million holders, marking a 4.12% increase [3] - Tokenized gold has emerged as a significant growth driver, increasing from $1 billion to over $3.27 billion year-to-date, representing a 227% rise [8] Market Sentiment and Future Outlook - Market attention remains focused on Bitcoin's declining price, with indications that selling pressure may persist [4][5] - The tokenized RWA sector is largely overlooked by the broader crypto market, yet it is delivering strong returns [6] - The growth in the tokenized RWA sector is partly fueled by a global surge in demand for gold, which continues to reach new all-time highs [7] - The RWA commodities sector has expanded from four gold products at the beginning of 2025 to 15 products, now including oil, wheat, platinum, and soy [8]