Gold Chaos Sparks 5-Year High in Commodity-Backed Crypto Minting—Here’s Why It Matters

Turmoil in traditional gold markets has sent investors scrambling—straight into the arms of commodity-pegged digital assets. Minting rates for gold-backed cryptocurrencies just smashed records unseen since 2020, proving even institutional traders now treat crypto as a pressure valve for shaky commodities.

The rush reflects a brutal truth: When physical gold markets stutter, blockchain bridges the gap. These tokenized alternatives offer instant settlement, fractional ownership, and—unlike some vaulted bullion—verifiable proof of existence.

Of course, Wall Street will still call it a 'hedge' while quietly triple-checking their private keys. Some traditions never die.

These tokens, which are backed by physical reserves held in vaults, allow investors to gain exposure to the precious metal and can be transferred instantly on-chain without crossing borders.

Switzerland, which refines a large share of the world’s Gold despite having no mines of its own, exported more than $61 billion worth of the metal to the U.S. over the past year.

The MOVE has triggered a political backlash in Switzerland, with some lawmakers calling for the gold sector to shoulder part of the economic fallout. The precious metal makes up over a quarter of Switzerland’s exports, per Swiss National Bank data.