Tokenized gold

gold

2026-08-27 12:01:46

Central bank buying lifts gold as tokenized gold trading surpasses last year’s total

Gold is in its strongest run since 1979, and the move is being driven less by retail speculation than by official-sector demand, according to an article by Ledn co-founder Mauricio Di Bartolomeo. The piece says gold briefly reached nearly $5,600 per ounce in January, while global central banks added a net 863 metric tons in 2025 and are expected to add about 850 tons more in 2026. A World Gold Council survey of 76 reserve managers found that 89% expect global official gold holdings to keep rising over the next 12 months, and a record 45% plan to increase their own reserves. The article argues that tokenized gold is emerging as a new wrapper for the metal, much as stablecoins changed how dollars move online. It compares physical bullion, gold ETFs, and tokenized gold, saying blockchain-based versions can be transferred globally within seconds or minutes, divided into smaller units, traded around the clock, and in some cases redeemed for physical bars. It points to Tether Gold (XAUt) and Pax Gold (PAXG) as examples of tokens representing claims on specifically allocated bullion. Citing the article’s figures, tokenized gold trading volume reached $90.7 billion in the first quarter of 2026, already above the full-year 2025 total of $84.6 billion. Market capitalization topped $6 billion in February, first-quarter growth ran 5.5 times faster than growth in physical gold holdings, and more than 44,500 holder wallets were added. The article frames this as early but accelerating adoption rather than a mature market.

1080

XGLD

2026-08-20 02:00:00

XGLD’s 856 Wallets and $14.1 Million TVL Show Who Is Buying Tokenized Gold

Foresight News, citing Unitas Team, analyzed every XGLD holding address since launch and found 856 valid wallets with roughly $14.1 million in total value locked. The biggest group was made up of high-conviction gold holders, who accounted for 73.5% of TVL. Stablecoin-led wallets contributed 18%, while high-frequency onchain traders accounted for just 0.3%. The data suggests XGLD is being used less by APY hunters and more by users who already wanted gold exposure and are looking for a more efficient way to hold it. The same piece also looked at XAUt holders. Among 654 valid addresses, 42 wallets held tokenized stocks or ETFs alongside gold, pointing to a more multi-asset approach to onchain allocation. It also noted that 90% of XAUt supply sits in three Binance exchange hot wallets, leaving direct onchain holders as a relatively focused user base. On the product side, Tether Gold has completed an integration with Unitas Labs, letting users deposit XAUt, mint XGLD 1:1, and put the backing to work through a delta-neutral strategy. Returns are variable, and the article says past performance has been in the double-digit annualized range.

1410

UK

2026-08-12 12:50:12

UK FCA studies tokenized gold rules as London looks to defend its lead in bullion trading

The UK Financial Conduct Authority is working on a regulatory framework for tokenized gold as Britain looks to digitize parts of the gold market without giving up London’s dominant position in global bullion trading. According to the Financial Times, the FCA has begun talking with financial institutions about how tokenized gold should be regulated and how such products could be used in wholesale financial markets. London’s over-the-counter market currently accounts for about 70% of global notional gold trading, making the issue strategically important for the UK as other markets, including China, expand their own gold trading infrastructure. The discussions go beyond simple digital wrappers for bullion. The FCA is seeking views on whether tokenized gold could be used as collateral in wholesale markets, which would widen its role from spot and derivatives trading into financing, collateral management and settlement. Key regulatory questions still need to be settled, including the legal link between physical reserves and on-chain tokens, custody arrangements, whether reserves are fully backed, the rights attached to token ownership, and how client assets would be handled if an issuer ran into financial trouble. The move fits into a broader UK push to bring tokenization and distributed ledger technology into wholesale finance. The government has said that financial market digitization, if implemented successfully, could add about £33 billion in annual economic output.

1720

tokenized gol

2026-08-11 06:40:14

UK FCA Explores Tokenized Gold as Wholesale Collateral as London Holds 70% of Global Trading

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is currently exploring whether tokenized gold could be accepted in wholesale markets, including its potential use as collateral. These discussions are focused on how such products should be regulated when offered to institutional investors, and any resulting rules might be unveiled in the next few months. This regulatory effort coincides with London’s ongoing push to maintain its status as the leading global center for gold trading. According to data from the World Gold Council, London handles roughly 70 percent of the world’s gold trading volume, while Shanghai and Hong Kong are both trying to capture more of the wholesale market. HSBC, for its part, introduced a tokenized gold product to retail customers in Hong Kong more than two years ago. The bank says that since launch, cumulative trading value has surpassed $2.2 billion, with more than 276,000 transactions executed. The FCA does not directly oversee physical gold trading; instead, its regulatory remit covers gold derivatives and exchange-traded products available on public markets.

1860

gold leasing

2026-08-10 10:07:52

How Mustafa Centre’s gold leasing model feeds on-chain yield for thUSD and thGOLD

A TechFlowPost-translated article examines how yield behind thUSD and thGOLD is tied to a long-standing gold leasing market rather than crypto-native speculation. The piece centers on Singapore retailer Mustafa Centre, which says a single store sells about 1,100 pounds of gold jewelry a month while keeping inventory near one ton, worth more than $100 million at current prices. Even so, the business is structured to avoid taking outright gold price risk, replenishing sold inventory and earning from retail margins instead of directional exposure. The report argues that this operating model creates steady borrowing demand in the physical gold trade, where retailers lease gold instead of tying up large amounts of capital. It also points to Libeara, incubated by SC Ventures of Standard Chartered, and FundBridge Capital’s MG 999 on-chain gold fund, which listed Mustafa Gold as its first borrower when the fund launched in December 2025. In this setup, thUSD and thGOLD are designed to pass leasing income from real-world counterparties to token holders.

1950

UK FCA

2026-08-10 07:10:09

UK FCA begins talks with major banks on a regulatory framework for tokenized gold

The UK Financial Conduct Authority is discussing a regulatory framework for tokenized gold with major banks, according to BlockTempo, in a move tied to the country’s push to digitize financial markets and protect London’s position as a global gold trading hub. The regulator is expected to outline a plan for developing the relevant standards in the coming months. The report places the initiative within a broader regulatory sequence. The UK had already brought stablecoins into a formal regulatory system in 2025, with the FCA and the Bank of England jointly setting standards for systemic stablecoins. In May 2026, the two authorities also published a shared vision for tokenization in UK wholesale markets, backing the use of tokenized infrastructure to improve clearing and settlement efficiency. BlockTempo said the latest effort suggests the UK is extending tokenization policy from stablecoins and wholesale-market infrastructure into real-world assets. The article also links the move to rising on-chain gold activity and notes that London, which it describes as the world’s largest gold trading center with more than 40% of daily global gold trading volume, risks losing standard-setting influence if other jurisdictions move first. The FCA has not yet released a timetable, detailed compliance requirements, or any decision on whether existing tokenized gold products such as PAXG would connect directly to the future framework.

1980

UK

2026-08-10 05:39:55

UK Regulators Plan to Bring Tokenized Gold into Existing Framework

According to a report published by CryptoBriefing, the Financial Conduct Authority, the Bank of England, and the Prudential Regulation Authority have jointly released a vision document, which outlines their intention to bring tokenized gold into the existing regulatory framework that currently governs traditional financial assets. The plan would permit tokenized gold to be utilized as collateral in over-the-counter derivative transactions, and it would also grant such assets the same prudential treatment that is already applied to non-tokenized assets. Within the document, the regulators make it clear that they do not intend to establish a new regulatory category for tokenized assets; rather, these assets will be treated in the same manner as traditional assets under the UK's EMIR rules. Furthermore, the document reveals that 16 institutions are currently participating in the Digital Securities Sandbox, where they are testing tokenized assets. The Bank of England has additionally announced its timeline for digital ledger integration, with direct connectivity planned for 2027 and a real-time synchronization service scheduled to launch in 2028. No further specifics regarding the implementation process were disclosed in the report.

1990

FCA

2026-08-10 04:57:27

FCA discusses tokenized gold regulation with banks, standards expected in months

According to the Financial Times, the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is in talks with industry bodies, including several major banks, on how to regulate tokenized gold. The effort is part of a British push to digitize financial markets and cement London's role as the global gold trading hub. The regulator is expected to announce plans for setting tokenized gold regulatory standards in the coming months. BlockBeats reported the news on Aug. 10, 2026.

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