Tokenized Gold Shatters $19 Billion Barrier, Outshining Gold ETFs in 2025!

Holy moly, folks! Tokenized gold is on fire, blasting past $19 billion in trading volume this year. It's leaving many of those so-called popular gold ETFs eating its dust!

Listen up, because tokenized assets aren't just some fad. They're proving they can go toe-to-toe with the big boys of traditional investment. A jaw-dropping report from CEX.io on July 8 spilled the beans: tokenized gold is pulling in the crowds faster than gold ETFs can blink. We're talking a whopping $19 billion in trading volume this year, folks. That's more than several of those widely-held gold ETFs can boast!

Now, don't get it twisted. Tokenized gold isn't quite ready to dethrone the heavyweights like SPDR Gold Shares and iShares Gold Trust just yet. But it's not playing around! It's already surpassed the likes of SGOL, AAAU, IAUM, and OUNZ. That's right, it's leaving those smaller ETFs in the rearview mirror!

And here's the kicker: tokenized gold's growth this year? It's outpacing all those gold ETFs combined. In the second quarter of 2025, the trading volume skyrocketed from $2.4 billion to a mind-blowing $19.2 billion. That's an eightfold jump, people!

This isn't just a flash in the pan. Tokenized gold has been outperforming gold ETFs in trading volume growth for four straight quarters. CEX.io says it loud and clear: the money's moving from gold ETFs to tokenized gold assets. Buckle up, because this trend is only getting started!

Retail Investors: The Secret Sauce Behind Tokenized Gold's Surge

Get this: the CEX.io report says retail and crypto-native investors are the ones driving this tokenized gold frenzy. Meanwhile, the institutional bigwigs are still clinging to their traditional gold ETFs. But here's where it gets wild—the number of PAXG holders shot up 25%, and XAUT holders? They went through the roof with a 151% increase! That's a tidal wave of new traders diving into the market!

Now, let's keep it real. Tokenized gold still lags behind ETFs when it comes to market cap. GLD's total market cap jumped 36%, while tokenized gold only grew 29%. So, it's not quite seen as the ultimate long-term store of value yet. But here's the thing: most traders are using it as a utility asset in the DeFi world, and that's where the action is!