In 2024, gold prices soared 46% in less than a year, far exceeding the Nasdaq and S&P 500 indices. This historic market trend not only reflects the supply and demand dynamics but also reveals the deep fractures in the global financial system. In the face of multiple challenges such as inflation pressure, geopolitical conflicts, and the expansion of U.S. debt, central banks around the world are accelerating the incorporation of gold into their strategic reserve systems.

Gold, as a neutral asset, has evolved from an initial tool for hedging geopolitical risks to now playing a key role in the process of de-dollarization, with the global gold market undergoing structural changes.

The migration of gold combined with a surge in physical gold delivery demand brings the topic of "gold reserves" to the forefront.

The "Great Gold Migration" triggered by the Trump administration's tariffs on European imports led to a surge in gold transport from London to New York, increasing to 350-400 tons within 6-8 months, while the Bank of England's gold extraction cycle extended from several days to eight weeks.

The "Exchange for Physical" (EFP) mechanism between the COMEX gold futures market and the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) is facing unprecedented pressure. As gold prices continue to rise in 2025, systemic risks in the paper gold market are gradually emerging. The traditional gold futures market, which relies on 4% physical gold to support 96% paper contracts, is facing severe tests with a 750% increase in open interest. When market participants collectively demand physical delivery, whether New York and London, the two major gold trading hubs, have sufficient reserves has become a key issue concerning global financial stability.

Elon Musk publicly questions the audit of Fort Knox's gold reserves, sparking discussions on market reserve transparency.

Elon Musk's public skepticism about the authenticity of Fort Knox's gold reserves has once again drawn attention to the transparency of U.S. government gold audits. Since the comprehensive audit by the Eisenhower administration in 1953, the world's largest gold vault has not undergone a truly independent verification for seventy years. Although the U.S. Treasury publishes annual reports on gold reserves, these reports are primarily internally audited by the government, lacking independent third-party verification. Furthermore, the actual reserve amounts and the audit process of the vault have not been made publicly transparent, leading to doubts among the public and the market regarding the authenticity and completeness of these reserves. When the ancient adage "he who owns the gold makes the rules" encounters a modern financial trust crisis, building a new gold trust system has become an urgent task.

Matrixdock launches gold tokens, reconstructing the gold trust system through smart contracts.

Gold tokenization can address the financial trust issues surrounding gold reserves. The gold token XAUm launched by Matrixdock combines gold with blockchain technology, providing a 1:1 physical gold reserve and transparent, verifiable smart contracts, which can solve one of the long-standing issues in the gold market—verifiable reserves. Gold tokens open up an innovative channel for individual and institutional investors to directly hold physical gold.

At the 2025 Hong Kong Consensus, the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury of Hong Kong explicitly listed gold tokenization as a key focus for the development of the regional RWA market. As a pioneer in this field, XAUm relies on the physical reserves of Brink's vaults in Hong Kong and Singapore, achieving full traceability of reserve proof through tokenization technology. This innovative model of putting gold's intrinsic value on the blockchain is reshaping the investment approach to gold for millions of people worldwide.

Conclusion

As the traditional financial system faces increasing pressure, gold tokens, with their secure, transparent, and verifiable characteristics, are building a new financial infrastructure. What Matrixdock achieves through XAUm is not just technological innovation but also a push towards global asset transparency. In this era of trust reconstruction, gold tokens may redefine the standards for value storage in the digital age.