Tether introduces Scudo, a unit of account tied to its XAUT digital gold token, representing 1/1,000 of a troy ounce of gold. XAUT has a market cap of $2.3 billion and is backed by 1,300 gold bars. Scudo aims to make gold ownership more accessible by simplifying onchain transactions. Paolo Ardoino, Tether’s CEO, sees gold as a valuable asset alongside Bitcoin.

In 2025, gold prices surged by 65% to over $4,550 per troy ounce, driven by de-dollarization efforts, central bank purchases, and inflation concerns. Silver prices rose over 140% to $80 per troy ounce. Economist Peter Schiff warns of historic inflation. Gold outperformed Bitcoin, especially after the October market crash.

Gold’s rise in 2025 highlighted a contrast with Bitcoin, which finished lower for the year. The fourth quarter saw limited safe-haven demand for Bitcoin. The market deleveraging event triggered by the October crash further emphasized the divergence between gold and Bitcoin.

Read more at Cointelegraph: Tether Launches Scudo to Simplify Fractional Gold Ownership Onchain