-640x358.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
Gold surged past $5,000 per ounce over the weekend, setting a new record as investor demand for safe-haven assets accelerated.
An attestation report published by Tether showed growing momentum toward gold-backed exposure as prices climbed above $5,100.
As of December 31, Tether had minted 375,000 Tether Gold tokens, marking a 38% increase over the previous quarter.
Over the same period, USDT’s market capitalisation rose 7% to $187 billion, highlighting a slower growth rate than its gold-backed counterpart.
The data indicates Tether Gold supply expanded at roughly five times the pace of USDT in the fourth quarter.
Tether CEO Paulo Ardoino said XAUT was designed to “remove ambiguity at a time when confidence in monetary systems is weakening,” Ardoino said.
Tether Gold is backed by physical gold stored in Swiss vaults and was valued at $2.64 billion this week.
The token’s market value has risen sharply from $677 million a year ago, placing it among the top 50 cryptocurrencies by capitalisation.
XAUT competes with Paxos-issued PAX Gold, a rival product with a market value of about $2 billion.
Tether sold around 173,400 XAUT in the fourth quarter, equating to roughly $882 million in gold exposure.
The company has promoted gold tokens as both a store of value and a potential payment instrument.
Regulatory developments in the United States continue to shape stablecoin strategies, including Tether’s planned launch of a compliant USAT token.
Market participants on prediction platforms remain bullish, with traders assigning strong odds to gold extending its rally.