What is Tether Gold (XAUT)?
Own physical gold stored in Swiss vaults — through a blockchain token
Tether Gold (XAUT): Ounces on Ethereum
XAUT is an ERC-20 token where one token = one troy ounce of London Good Delivery gold held in Swiss vaults. TG Commodities Limited issues it under the Tether corporate umbrella — same family tree as USDT, different asset.
Spot gold in early 2026 often prints between $2,600–2,900/oz depending on the week, so each full token tracks that notional bullion price (minus fees and any issuer spread when you trade). Fractional amounts exist because ERC-20 balances are divisible.
Why the Token Tracks Bullion (Usually)
XAUT trades 24/7 on crypto venues. The fair value anchor is spot gold in London/Zurich plus transport and custody economics. Big gaps between token price and spot invite arbitrage — buy cheap XAUT, redeem metal if economical, or sell gold if the token prints rich.
Issuer attestations aim to show ounces in vault ≥ tokens outstanding. That is not the same as visiting the vault yourself; you are trusting TG Commodities and its custodians the same way GLD investors trust ETF sponsors — with more bar-level detail and fewer SEC wrapper rules.
Compared With ETFs and Bars
Physical bars: No issuer, high friction. ETFs (GLD, IAU): brokerage hours, management fees near 0.15–0.40%/yr, you own fund shares. XAUT: self-custody possible, 24/7 trading, Ethereum gas on entry/exit, issuer risk concentrated in TG Commodities.
Use XAUT when you already live on-chain and want gold exposure without a brokerage account — not because it removes counterparty risk entirely.
Trading XAUT on GaiaEx
GaiaEx settles against your wallet: buy or sell XAUT as you would any supported spot asset, without parking metal at an exchange custodian. You still carry TG Commodities risk on the token.
