(Kitco News) – Gold has been a store of wealth for thousands of years, but what will the next thousand years look like as investors continue to embrace digital assets?
The financial system has become increasingly digital, and the precious metal has an opportunity to reinvent itself – and potentially play a greater role in the future of money.
The potential is significant.
According to the World Gold Council, tokenization could unlock as much as $700 billion in latent investment demand, creating a digital gold market comparable in size to physically-backed gold ETFs.
The conversations surrounding tokenized gold come at an interesting time, as the precious metal faces significant headwinds from rising interest rates. U.S. real yields have climbed to their highest level in 19 years, increasing the opportunity cost of holding gold. As a non-yielding asset, gold does not generate income.
However, although higher yields remain a significant obstacle for gold investors, new technology could fundamentally change how the precious metal is used in the global financial system.
“You have this dead asset on your balance sheet doing absolutely nothing for you,” he said.
Domien explained that tokenization could allow financial institutions to use gold more efficiently as collateral, helping them finance transactions, meet margin requirements and access liquidity without selling their holdings.
“If you’re able to tokenize gold and everybody’s able to instantly use it, then suddenly you increase dramatically the use of gold,” he said.
What is interesting about new conversations around tokenized gold is that it doesn’t need to become a new asset class; it just needs to become a more useful version of what it already is.
Gold-backed exchange-traded funds revolutionized the market two decades ago by making the precious metal more accessible to mainstream investors. Tokenization could represent the next stage of that evolution, transforming gold from a passive store of wealth into an active financial instrument.
And the opportunity goes beyond attracting new investors.
By making physical gold easier to transfer, settle and use as collateral, tokenization could increase its utility throughout the financial system. Instead of sitting idle in a vault, gold could help provide liquidity while maintaining its traditional role as a store of value.
Of course, there are challenges. Tokenized gold still requires trusted custodians, transparent ownership structures and reliable redemption mechanisms. Without common standards, the market risks becoming fragmented, limiting the benefits of digital innovation.
There is also an important distinction between increasing gold’s utility and generating investment returns. Tokenization won’t eliminate gold’s sensitivity to real yields or automatically turn it into an income-producing asset.
Nevertheless, the long-term opportunity is compelling.
Gold has survived thousands of years of monetary evolution because its fundamental value has remained unchanged. Tokenization doesn’t need to reinvent that value; it needs to unlock its potential.
And in a world where capital moves instantly, gold’s future may depend as much on what investors can do with it as on what it is worth.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.