The digital gold market has tripled since early 2025 to reach $55bn, driven by younger investors seeking easily traded bullion exposure. The World Gold Council (WGC) projects 27% annual growth, potentially reaching $170bn by 2031. Tokenised gold, representing fractions of physical metal, now accounts for 8% of global gold ETF holdings.
Over 70 digital gold products have launched globally, with Q1 2026 trading volumes surpassing $90bn. While gold prices remain volatile, the WGC highlights strong awareness among youth via social and banking apps in China, India, and Indonesia. Despite competition from crypto, Tether’s gold reserves hit $19.8bn, and its Tether Gold token reached $3.3bn in value.
Source: Financial Times Markets · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing