Tether acquires a minority stake in Gold.com to expand tokenized gold distribution and integrate XAU₮ into physical precious metals markets amid rising institutional demand.
Discover top fintech news and events!
Subscribe to FinTech Weekly’s newsletter
Read by executives at JP Morgan, Coinbase, Blackrock, Klarna and more
Tether Investments has acquired a minority stake in Gold.com as part of a $150 million transaction, positioning the deal around distribution infrastructure for tokenized and physical gold across digital and traditional channels.
The investment gives Tether roughly 12 percent ownership of the precious metals platform and sets the foundation for integrating Tether Gold (XAU₮) into Gold.com’s offering. The companies are also evaluating options that could allow customers to purchase physical gold using digital currencies including USD₮ and the newly launched federally regulated USA₮, subject to regulatory and technical approvals.
The move arrives as gold markets continue to attract global attention, with prices recently exceeding $5,000 per ounce amid continued macroeconomic and geopolitical pressure. At the same time, tokenized gold has gained traction among institutional and digital-native investors looking for exposure to hard assets with blockchain-based settlement.
Tokenized Gold Gains Institutional and Market Relevance
The gold-backed stablecoin segment has expanded rapidly over the past year, growing from roughly $1.3 billion to more than $5.5 billion in total market capitalization. XAU₮ currently represents more than 60 percent of that market, reflecting demand for tokenized exposure to physical commodities.
Tokenized gold is increasingly being positioned as part of the broader real-world asset (RWA) narrative, where blockchain infrastructure is used to digitize traditional instruments while maintaining links to underlying physical collateral.
Tether Gold operates under El Salvador’s Digital Asset Issuance Law and is backed by approximately 140 tonnes of physical gold. Each XAU₮ token represents one fine troy ounce of gold tied to a specific London Good Delivery bar, with backing verified through independent attestations.
Distribution Infrastructure Becomes a Strategic Priority
Beyond ownership, the partnership focuses on distribution and usability. Integrating XAU₮ into an established precious metals platform expands access beyond crypto-native venues and into traditional precious metals markets.
The collaboration also reflects broader industry experimentation around using stablecoins and tokenized assets for real-world settlement, particularly in commodities and cross-border commerce.
If implemented, the ability to purchase physical gold using stablecoins would represent another step toward linking blockchain-native liquidity with physical asset markets.
Long-Term Infrastructure Focus Across Market Cycles
Tether continues to position commodity exposure, particularly gold, as part of a long-term capital preservation framework rather than a trading strategy. The company has increasingly focused investment activity on infrastructure that supports real-world financial use cases across market cycles.
The Gold.com investment aligns with this approach, extending tokenized gold availability while reinforcing connections between digital asset infrastructure and physical asset ownership.
As tokenized commodities adoption expands, partnerships between digital asset issuers and established commodity distribution platforms are likely to play a growing role in defining how investors access and move between physical and digital markets.
