Tether Gold XAUt
About
What is Tether Gold (XAU₮)?
Tether Gold (XAU₮) is a stablecoin that provides ownership on a 1:1 basis of one fine troy ounce of gold on a physical bar of gold that meets the Good Delivery standard of the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA). This technology allows access to a stablecoin that provides ownership of physical gold while avoiding the drawbacks associated with physical gold, such as high storage cost and limited accessibility.
Note: XAU₮ tokens can be fractionated up to six decimal places (i.e. in increments as small as 0.000001 troy fine ounce).
What Makes Tether Gold Unique?
Easy to Transport
Transporting physical gold is challenging, however, transporting your XAUt tokens is as easy as taking your other crypto-assets with you, whenever you need to.Easy Divisibility
It’s difficult to split up your physical gold bars. However XAUt tokens are divisible into increments as small as 0.000001 fine troy ounce of gold.24/7 Trading with Ease
Trading physical gold limits you to your location and trading hours. XAUt tokens however, can be traded 24/7, 365 days a year from anywhere in the world on exchanges that list XAUt Tokens.Easily Redeemable
Should you ever want to redeem your XAUt tokens for physical gold, you can. We deliver physical gold bars to any address in Switzerland.Easy Storage
Storing your physical gold can be expensive and can expose you to geopolitical risks. Storing your XAUt tokens is as easy as storing your other crypto-assets.Easy Verifiable
All physical gold that backs XAUt tokens can be tracked on our website. At any point in time, you can verify your gold allocation in our vaults.
AI Analysis
What is the Tether Gold (XAUt) cryptocurrency good for? What are its main use cases?
Tether Gold (XAUt) is a cryptocurrency issued by Tether, a well-known company in the digital asset space. XAUt is a stablecoin that is pegged to the value of gold, with each token representing one troy fine ounce of gold on the London Good Delivery bar. Here are some of the main use cases for Tether Gold (XAUt):
- Hedging against market volatility: XAUt can be used as a hedge against market volatility, as the value of gold is often less correlated with other assets, such as stocks or traditional cryptocurrencies. By holding XAUt, investors can diversify their portfolios and reduce their exposure to market fluctuations.
- Access to gold without physical ownership: XAUt allows users to own and trade gold without the need for physical storage or custody. This can be particularly useful for investors who want to gain exposure to gold but do not want to deal with the logistical challenges of storing physical gold.
- Digital gold trading: XAUt enables fast and secure gold trading on digital platforms, such as cryptocurrency exchanges. This can be more efficient and cost-effective than traditional methods of buying and selling gold.
- Payment and settlement: XAUt can be used as a form of payment or settlement, allowing users to transfer value quickly and efficiently. This can be particularly useful for businesses or individuals who need to make cross-border payments or settle transactions in a secure and reliable manner.
- Diversification of cryptocurrency portfolios: XAUt can be used to diversify cryptocurrency portfolios, as it is a non-correlated asset that can provide a hedge against the volatility of other cryptocurrencies.
- Yield generation: Some platforms offer interest-bearing accounts or lending services for XAUt, allowing users to earn a yield on their gold holdings.
- Institutional investment: XAUt can be used by institutional investors, such as hedge funds or family offices, to gain exposure to gold in a digital format.
Some of the benefits of using Tether Gold (XAUt) include:
- Low storage and maintenance costs compared to physical gold
- Fast and secure transactions
- Ability to trade on digital platforms
- Diversification benefits for cryptocurrency portfolios
- Access to gold without physical ownership
Overall, Tether Gold (XAUt) provides a digital and efficient way to own and trade gold, making it an attractive option for investors and institutions looking to diversify their portfolios or gain exposure to this traditional store of value.
What blockchain does Tether Gold use? Is it its own blockchain or built on top of another?
Tether Gold (XAUT) is a digital asset that represents ownership of physical gold. It is not built on its own blockchain but is instead issued as a token on multiple existing blockchains to facilitate trading and transfers. The primary blockchains where Tether Gold is available include:
- Ethereum (ERC-20) – The most widely used version, allowing XAUT to be traded on Ethereum-based exchanges and wallets.
- Tron (TRC-20) – Available for users on the Tron network.
- Omni (formerly Mastercoin, on Bitcoin’s blockchain) – An older version, though less commonly used today.
- Polygon (ERC-20 compatible) – Some exchanges and platforms support XAUT on Polygon for lower fees.
Tether Gold is not a blockchain itself but rather a tokenized representation of gold, issued and managed by Tether Limited, the same company behind USDT (Tether’s stablecoin). The gold backing XAUT is stored in vaults, and the tokens are designed to be redeemable for physical gold under certain conditions.
Would you like details on how XAUT’s gold reserves are audited or how it compares to other gold-backed tokens?
Is Tether Gold programmable? Does it support smart contracts or decentralized applications?
Tether Gold (XAUt) is a stablecoin issued by Tether, pegged to the value of gold. While it's built on blockchain technology, it's not entirely programmable in the same way as some other cryptocurrencies or tokens.
Tether Gold is an ERC-20 token, which means it's built on the Ethereum blockchain. As such, it can be stored, sent, and received using Ethereum-based wallets and interfaces. However, it doesn't support smart contracts or decentralized applications (dApps) in the classical sense.
Here's why:
- Limited programmability: While Tether Gold is an ERC-20 token, its primary purpose is to represent a stable value pegged to gold. It doesn't have the same level of programmability as other ERC-20 tokens or platforms like Ethereum, which allow for more complex smart contract functionality.
- No native smart contracts: Tether Gold doesn't have native support for smart contracts, which means you can't create or deploy custom smart contracts directly on the Tether Gold network.
- Limited dApp support: While Tether Gold can be used within certain decentralized applications (dApps) that support ERC-20 tokens, it's not designed to be a platform for building custom dApps or supporting complex decentralized logic.
That being said, Tether Gold can still be used within certain DeFi (decentralized finance) protocols and applications that support ERC-20 tokens, such as lending platforms, decentralized exchanges (DEXs), or other financial applications.
In summary, while Tether Gold is built on blockchain technology and uses the Ethereum network, it's not highly programmable and doesn't support smart contracts or decentralized applications in the same way as other platforms. Its primary purpose is to provide a stable, gold-pegged store of value.
How fast are Tether Gold transactions? What is the typical confirmation time and throughput (transactions per second)?
Tether Gold (XAUT) transactions operate on the Ethereum blockchain (ERC-20 standard), so their speed and confirmation times depend on Ethereum's network conditions. Here’s a breakdown of the typical performance:
Transaction Speed & Confirmation Time
- Average Block Time: Ethereum produces a new block approximately every 12 seconds (post-Merge, with Proof-of-Stake).
- Confirmations Needed: Most exchanges and services require 12–25 confirmations for security, which typically takes:
- ~2–5 minutes (for 12 confirmations).
- ~5–10 minutes (for 25 confirmations, often used for large transactions).
- Gas Fees Impact: During high network congestion, transactions may take longer due to higher gas prices or slower inclusion in blocks.
Throughput (Transactions Per Second - TPS)
- Ethereum’s base layer supports 15–30 TPS (varies with congestion).
- Layer 2 solutions (e.g., Optimism, Arbitrum) can process thousands of TPS, but XAUT is primarily used on the mainnet.
- Tether Gold (XAUT) itself does not have a dedicated blockchain, so its speed is tied to Ethereum’s performance.
Comparison to Other Gold-Backed Tokens
- PAX Gold (PAXG): Also on Ethereum, similar speeds.
- Perth Mint Gold Token (PMGT): Uses Stellar (faster, ~3–5 sec per transaction, ~1,000+ TPS).
Key Takeaways
- Fastest possible: ~2 minutes (12 confirmations, low congestion).
- Typical: 5–10 minutes (25 confirmations, standard security).
- Throughput: Limited by Ethereum’s base layer (~15–30 TPS).
For faster transactions, consider using Layer 2 solutions (though XAUT adoption on L2 is limited). If speed is critical, alternatives like Stellar-based gold tokens may be preferable.
How much data can I store on the Tether Gold blockchain? Does it support on-chain data storage?
Tether Gold (XAUt) is a stablecoin issued by Tether, which is pegged to the value of gold. The Tether Gold blockchain is based on the Ethereum blockchain, using the ERC-20 standard for its tokens.
However, on-chain data storage is limited and not suitable for large amounts of data due to the following reasons:
- Data size limitations: The Ethereum blockchain has a limit on the size of data that can be stored in a single transaction, known as the "block gas limit." This limit is in place to prevent large amounts of data from being stored on the blockchain, which would slow down the network.
- Storage costs: Storing data on the Ethereum blockchain can be expensive, as it requires paying gas fees for each transaction. The cost of storing data on-chain can be prohibitively expensive for large amounts of data.
- Blockchain bloat: Storing large amounts of data on the blockchain can contribute to "blockchain bloat," which can slow down the network and make it less scalable.
As a result, the Tether Gold blockchain, like other Ethereum-based blockchains, is not designed for large-scale on-chain data storage. It's primarily used for recording transactions and token balances, rather than storing large amounts of data.
If you need to store large amounts of data, you may want to consider alternative solutions, such as:
- Off-chain storage: Store data off-chain, using solutions like InterPlanetary File System (IPFS), Amazon S3, or Google Cloud Storage.
- Decentralized data storage protocols: Utilize decentralized data storage protocols, such as Filecoin, Sia, or Swarm, which are designed for storing and sharing large amounts of data in a decentralized manner.
- Layer 2 scaling solutions: Explore layer 2 scaling solutions, such as Optimism or Polygon, which can provide more scalable and cost-effective solutions for data storage and processing.
Keep in mind that each of these solutions has its own set of trade-offs, and the best approach will depend on your specific use case and requirements.
Contact Us About Tether Gold
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