What is Tether Gold? All You Need to Know About XAUt

BeginnerJan 02, 2024
Tether Gold (XAUt) is a digital asset backed by physical gold, offering a blockchain-based way to buy, hold, and transfer gold ownership.
What is Tether Gold? All You Need to Know About XAUt

In an era where investors seek reliable and accessible means to diversify their portfolios, the allure of gold remains undiminished. Known traditionally as a hedge against inflation and economic volatility, gold offers a timeless value proposition. However, integrating this precious metal into modern investment portfolios has often been complex and opaque. Innovative solutions have emerged to bridge this gap, simplifying access to gold markets. Among these, Tether Gold offers a straightforward and transparent approach to adding gold, a proven asset, to investment portfolios.

What is Tether Gold (XAUt)?

Tether Gold (XAUt), launched on January 23, 2020, represents a significant step by Tether, the company behind the prominent stablecoin USDT. Established in 2014, Tether is renowned for pioneering fiat-collateralized stablecoins, with USDT being a flagship product. XAUt is Tether’s venture into commodity-backed digital assets, each token symbolizing one troy ounce of physical gold, securely stored in Swiss vaults.

This launch marked a pivotal moment as Tether expanded from fiat to commodity-backed tokens, addressing the growing investor interest in digital forms of traditional assets. Gold, known as a reliable hedge against inflation and economic volatility, has now become accessible via blockchain technology, combining the stability and value of gold with the efficiency and transparency of digital assets.

XAUt offers investors an innovative way to include gold in their portfolios, simplifying the investment process without the complexities of physical ownership. It embodies a blend of traditional asset value with modern technology, catering to a new era of digital investments and broadening the scope of blockchain applications in the financial sector.

How does Tether Gold Work? Digitization & Transferability

Tether Gold’s digitization process transforms traditional gold ownership by converting physical gold into a digital format. Each XAUt token corresponds to one troy ounce of real gold, securely stored in Swiss vaults. This process, underpinned by blockchain technology, guarantees a transparent and unalterable record of ownership. This innovation in gold investment allows investors to buy, hold, and transfer fractional amounts of gold with ease, increasing flexibility and liquidity compared to conventional gold investments. It removes common barriers such as storage, security, and significant initial purchase requirements, making gold investment more accessible and appealing.

Notably, if investors decide to redeem their XAUt tokens, they can easily do so. Tether Gold facilitates the redemption of digital tokens for physical gold bars, which can be delivered to any address in Switzerland, adding a layer of practicality and reassurance for investors in the digital gold market. \

Bitcoin and similar technologies have disrupted traditional monetary systems, offering alternatives to fiat money and prompting users to reconsider monetary principles. Tether’s stablecoins and Tether Gold uniquely combine these principles, offering digital convenience with fiat and gold stability, enhancing financial empowerment and choice.


Source: gold.tether.to

Transferability

The transferability aspect of Tether Gold (XAUt) introduces a groundbreaking approach to the gold market, merging the physical asset’s intrinsic value with digital fluidity and ease. XAUt tokens, each representing one troy fine ounce of gold held in Swiss vaults, can be fractionalized up to six decimal places, enhancing accessibility and flexibility for investors. This system allows for the direct exposure to the price of physical gold with the transactional utility of a digital token, striking a balance between cost, accessibility, and utility that outmatches both physical gold and Gold ETFs.

Tether Gold’s platform enables holders to redeem their tokens for the associated physical gold, subject to fees and minimum redemption requirements, or opt for Tether Gold to arrange to sell the gold in the Swiss market. A unique feature is the real-time reallocation of the physical gold associated with XAUt tokens during on-chain transactions, ensuring that each token consistently represents a share of a specific gold bar.

XAUt, initially available on the ERC20 protocol, mandates identity verification for purchases or redemptions, adhering to specific service terms. Unlike other gold-backed stablecoins, Tether Gold does not charge ‘gas’ fees, with fees applicable only on issuance and redemption. This system significantly lowers entry barriers for non-institutional investors, mobilizing gold markets and expanding the potential for individual trade-offs between monetary principles.

Tether Gold Use Cases

Tether Gold (XAUt) presents innovative use cases by embodying the benefits of a gold-pegged stablecoin. Its utility surpasses traditional physical gold and fiat-pegged products in several ways:

  • Highly Mobile ‘Safe-Haven’ Asset: Physical gold is a recognized safe-haven asset but is challenging to transact with and store due to its physical nature. XAUt, by digitizing gold, eliminates much of the friction and cost associated with holding physical gold. It allows the economic qualities of gold, such as ownership and value, to flow seamlessly worldwide, making gold more mobile and accessible.
  • Liquid & Effective Portfolio Hedge: Gold is often included in portfolios as a hedge against financial instability. XAUt democratizes access to physical gold, offering smaller denominations at wholesale prices. This accessibility makes it a more effective and liquid hedge for non-institutional investors, who previously faced barriers in accessing physical gold, especially in smaller quantities.
  • Sovereign-Neutral Monetary Unit: XAUt serves as a sovereign-neutral monetary unit, combining the scarcity and price stability of gold with the transactional utility of a digital token. It stands as an alternative to politically affiliated currencies, offering a stable monetary basis for global trade. This positions XAUt as a feasible option for those seeking a stable, sovereign-neutral monetary unit, empowering individuals to engage in gold-based contracting and global settlement, an option that was historically limited to governments and large institutions.

Through these use cases, XAUt paves the way for novel forms of economic activity, leveraging the transactional utility of digital tokens to enhance the traditional value of gold.

What is the XAUt Coin?

The XAUt coin is a unique digital asset representing physical gold ownership. As of the latest data (December 2023), it has a market cap of approximately $499 million, ranking it #98 among cryptocurrencies. The coin maintains a constant circulating and total supply of 246,524 XAUt, with no maximum supply limit set, leading to a fully diluted market cap close to its actual market cap.

Each XAUt token corresponds to one fine troy ounce of gold, held securely in a vault. A key feature of XAUt is its divisibility, allowing tokens to be split into increments as small as 0.000001 fine troy ounce. This divisibility contrasts sharply with the difficulties of dividing physical gold bars.

XAUt tokens can be traded 24/7, offering flexibility and global accessibility far beyond the conventional gold market’s constraints. Furthermore, the physical gold backing each token is transparently verifiable on Tether’s website, ensuring that holders can always confirm their gold allocations. This transparency, combined with the ease of trading and precise divisibility, positions XAUt as an innovative bridge between traditional gold investment and the digital asset world.

Tether Gold Ecosystem

The Tether Gold (XAUt) ecosystem is a robust and versatile platform that connects the traditional allure of gold with the efficiency of modern digital assets. XAUt tokens, each representing one troy ounce of physical gold, can be purchased from several major cryptocurrency exchanges, including traditional derivatives exchanges, broadening its accessibility to a diverse range of investors. Notably, Gate.io is among the prominent platforms where investors can acquire XAUt, offering an easy entry point for those looking to invest in digital gold.

Furthermore, the ecosystem emphasizes security in asset storage. Investors can securely store their XAUt tokens in Ledger hardware wallets, one of the most trusted names in cryptocurrency hardware storage. This option provides peace of mind, combining the safety of physical gold with the security of advanced digital wallet technology.

The Tether Gold ecosystem thus presents a comprehensive solution for investing in gold. It offers the stability and reliability of a time-tested asset, the ease of purchase through major exchanges, and the security of top-tier digital wallet storage, making it an attractive option for both traditional gold investors and modern digital asset enthusiasts.

Is XAUt a Good Investment?

As traditional investors navigate the evolving landscape of digital finance, the question of whether XAUt (Tether Gold) is a good investment becomes pertinent. For those looking to dip their toes into the crypto sector, XAUt presents an ideal bridge. It combines the tangible value of gold with the liquidity and innovation of digital assets. This fusion offers a familiar yet progressive investment vehicle, easing the transition from conventional to digital markets. Moreover, in the past two years, Tether has bolstered its credibility, fostering greater trust among investors. This enhanced reliability, coupled with the practical benefits of XAUt, makes it an appealing option for investors seeking to explore the crypto domain gradually and securely.

How to Own XAUt?

To own XAUt, you can use the services of a centralized crypto exchange. Start by creating a Gate.io account and getting it verified and funded. Then you are ready to go through the steps to buy XAUt.

News on XAUt

In a significant financial milestone, Tether Gold (XAUt) achieved a new all-time high (ATH) market capitalization, touching $520 million on December 4, 2023. This notable achievement reflects growing investor confidence in XAUt, highlighting its increasing popularity as a digital asset that combines the traditional value of gold with the innovative advantages of blockchain technology.

Useful References

For the latest updates about Tether Gold, you can visit:

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Author: Mauro
Translator: Cedar
Reviewer(s): KOWEI、Edward、Ashley He
* The information is not intended to be and does not constitute financial advice or any other recommendation of any sort offered or endorsed by Gate.io.
* This article may not be reproduced, transmitted or copied without referencing Gate.io. Contravention is an infringement of Copyright Act and may be subject to legal action.
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