Unlocking Digital Gold’s US$700bn Opportunity

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Postmedia has not reviewed the content. by Business Wire Unlocking Digital Gold's US$700bn OpportunityAuthor of the article:LAS VEGAS — The digital gold market, worth US$45–55bn today, could unlock up to US$700bn in latent demand, according to new research from World Gold Council and Boston Consulting Group. The report points to substantial untapped appetite among retail investors, with nearly nine in ten surveyed saying they would consider digital gold under the right conditions.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLYSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountThe US$700bn opportunity represents the report’s estimate of total latent demand that could be released if today’s barriers to adoption were removed, rather than a near-term forecast. The report’s five-year base case sees digital gold growing by around 27% a year to US$160–170bn by 2031. That could rise to US$270–280bn over the same time if more barriers fall faster.This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Momentum is already building as financial markets undergo a broader digital transformation, bringing tokenised investment products increasingly into the mainstream. Tokenised gold, one segment of the digital gold market alongside vaulted digital gold, has grown fivefold in value since late 2024 to around US$6bn. Cumulative spot trading volumes in tokenised gold exceeded US$90bn in the first quarter of 2026, more than in the whole of 2025.Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againWhat holds investors back is not a lack of interest but four key barriers: trust, access, utility and cost. Trust is the swing factor. Investors point to stronger consumer protections, transparent proof of backing, accessible redemption and clearer regulation as the conditions most likely to increase confidence in digital gold. Access is another important barrier to address. Where digital gold is sold through familiar channels such as super-apps, payment platforms and banking apps, as in China, India and Indonesia, the share of investors who hold it is currently up to seven times higher than in less mature markets.Solving for those barriers could expand the gold market, rather than just redistribute demand. Around 65% of the latent demand sits with people who do not yet own gold. Among today’s digital gold investors, 52% held no gold before their first digital purchase, of which 92% have since bought other forms of gold, highlighting the report’s finding that digital gold can act as an entry point to the wider gold market. Even allowing for some movement between existing gold products, the base case points to around US$95bn of genuinely new demand for gold by 2031. Younger investors are leading the way: awareness of digital gold reaches 50% among 25–34-year-olds, compared with 23% among those aged 55 and over.David Tait, Chief Executive Officer, World Gold Council, commented:Significant investor interest in digital gold is clear, but demand cannot scale without the right infrastructure behind it. That is the role Gold as a Service is designed to play. As shared infrastructure in development, it aims to help issuers bring competitive, compliant digital gold products to market more efficiently, supported by the sourcing, custody and compliance capabilities they would otherwise need to build themselves. But infrastructure alone is not enough. Building a liquid, trusted market will require the wider industry to work to the same standards, so investors can have confidence in what they are buying.”This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Urs Rahne, Managing Director and Partner, Boston Consulting Group, commented:“We undertook this project with the belief that gold has the potential to become the world’s most credible digital asset – not despite its physical nature, but because of it. Our research has reinforced our confidence in the scale of this opportunity and provided a clearer understanding of what it will take to realise its full potential.”The report, Digital Gold: Unlocking a US$700bn Opportunity, was published today live from Money20/20 USA and can be viewed here: https://www.gold.org/goldhub/research/digital-gold-market-report You can follow the World Gold Council on X at @goldcouncil and LinkedIn.We are a membership organisation that champions the role gold plays as a strategic asset, shaping the future of a responsible and accessible gold supply chain. Our team of experts builds understanding of the use case and possibilities of gold through trusted research, analysis, commentary, and insights. We drive industry progress, shaping policy and setting standards for a perpetual and sustainable gold market.You can follow the World Gold Council on X at @goldcouncil and LinkedIn.Boston Consulting Group bridges the gap between ambition and outcomes for the world’s leading companies and organizations. We are built for this era of unprecedented change—bringing strategic clarity rooted in over 60 years of deep domain knowledge, combined with applied AI shaped by our practitioners. BCG works shoulder-to-shoulder with CEOs across industries and geographies to deliver transformative impact at scale: stronger returns, transferred capabilities, and change that sticks. For more information, visit BCG.com.View source version on businesswire.com: For further information please contact: Stephanie Cadman, World Gold Council, T: +44 20 7826 4740 | E:Eric Gregoire, Boston Consulting Group, E:This advertisement has not loaded yet.Notice for the Postmedia NetworkThis website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.