Gold reserves cause controversy, how to solve the problem of financial trust in the Web 3 era

In 2024, gold prices soared 46% in less than a year, far exceeding the Nasdaq and S&P 500. This historic market not only reflects the market supply and demand relationship, but also reveals the deep fission of the global financial system. Faced with multiple challenges of inflationary pressure, geopolitical conflicts and the expansion of US debt scale, central banks are accelerating the inclusion of gold into the strategic reserve system.

As a neutral asset, gold is undergoing structural changes, from its initial georisk hedging tool to its key role in the de-dollarization process now.

Gold migration and physical gold delivery demand has increased sharply, and the issue of "gold reserves" has fallen to the table

The "gold migration" incident caused by the Trump administration's tariffs on European imports has caused gold transfers from London to New York to surge to 350-400 tons within 6-8 months, and the Bank of England's gold extraction cycle has even increased from Extended for several days to eight weeks.

The "futures to spot trading" (EFP) mechanism between the New York Commodity Exchange Gold Futures Market (COMEX) and the London Gold and Silver Market Association (LBMA) market is facing unprecedented pressure. As gold prices continue to rise in 2025, systemic risks in the paper gold market are gradually emerging. The traditional gold futures market relies on 4%, and physical gold supports 96%. The operating model of paper contracts is facing a severe test of the growth of 750% open contracts. When market participants collectively demand physical delivery, whether New York and London, the two major gold trading hubs, have sufficient reserves, has become a key proposition related to global financial stability.

Musk openly questioned the audit of the Fort Knox Gold Reserve, triggering discussion on market reserve transparency

Elon Musk's public doubts about the authenticity of Fort Knox gold reserves have once again attracted market attention to the transparency of the US government's gold audit. Since the Eisenhower government's comprehensive audit in 1953, the world's largest vault has not been subject to a truly independent verification for seven decades. Although the U.S. Treasury Department publishes reports on gold reserves every year, the report is mainly audited by internal governments and lacks verification by independent third parties. In addition, the actual reserves of the vault and its audit process have not been open and transparent to the public, and the public and the market have questions about the authenticity and integrity of these reserves. When the ancient motto of "those who have gold make rules" encounters the trust crisis of modern finance, building a new gold trust system has become an urgent task.

Matrixdock launches gold tokens, smart contracts restructure gold trust system

Gold tokenization can solve the financial trust problem of gold reserves. The gold token XAUm launched by Matrixdock combines gold with blockchain technology. Through 1:1 physical gold reserves and transparent and verifiable smart contracts, it can solve one of the long-standing problems in the gold market - verifiable reserves. Gold tokens open up an innovative channel for individual and institutional investors to directly hold physical gold.

In 2025 Hongkong Consensus, the Secretary for Financial Affairs and Treasury of Hong Kong clearly listed gold tokenization as a focus of regional RWA market development. As a pioneer in this field, XAUm relies on the physical reserves of Blinker Vault in Hong Kong and Singapore to achieve full traceability of reserve certificates through tokenization technology. This innovative model of bringing the intrinsic value of gold into the chain is reshaping the way of gold investment for hundreds of millions of people around the world.

Conclusion

As the traditional financial system is under increasing pressure, gold tokens are building new financial infrastructure with their secure, transparent and verifiable characteristics. Matrixdock achieves not only technological innovation through XAUm, but also wants to promote the global asset transparency process. In this era of trust reconstruction, gold tokens may redefine the storage standards of value in the digital age.