Investors shift to tokenised gold as trade fears grow

Physical and tokenised gold are both surging, reflecting a growing demand for safety as market uncertainty spreads through traditional and digital economies alike.

Tokenised gold has seen a dramatic rise as Trump’s tariffs reignite trade tensions, driving investors away from riskier assets and towards blockchain-based safe-haven options.

Tokenised gold trading has surpassed $1 billion for the first time since the 2023 US banking crisis. The surge reflects a renewed investor shift towards safe-haven assets.

The renewed interest follows President Donald Trump’s import tariffs, fuelling trade war fears and boosting demand for safer assets.

Data from CEX.io shows a sharp rise in digital gold activity since Trump’s first tariff announcement in January.

Paxos Gold (PAXG) trading volume surged by over 900%, Tether Gold (XAUT) by more than 300%, and Kinesis Gold (KAU) by over 83,000%.

Since the start of 2025, tokenised gold has recorded a 21% increase in market capitalisation and a trading volume boost of over 1,000%.

Physical gold has also reached record highs, trading above $3,100 per ounce at the end of March.

Analysts say tokenised gold is gaining traction as a diversification tool among crypto-native investors. However, it remains in the early stages compared with traditional gold markets.

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