In the RWA wave, how is Gate’s Metal Zone reshaping global metal trading?

In the past few years, the most profound change in the global commodities market has not been price fluctuations, but the redefinition of asset forms themselves. Traditional hard assets like gold, silver, and copper are moving from physical warehouses to on-chain accounts through blockchain technology. Behind this process lies the ongoing acceleration of the real-world asset tokenization (RWA) industry, which is expected to continue expanding rapidly through 2026.

Tokenized commodities demonstrate strong growth momentum in this wave. Gold-backed tokens are among the most mature categories, with core products like XAUT and PAXG becoming key links connecting the traditional precious metals market with the on-chain financial ecosystem. The market size, trading activity, and institutional acceptance of tokenized gold have all significantly increased over the past year, marking this asset class’s transition from early experimentation to large-scale application.

How RWA Drives Precious Metals and Commodities into the On-Chain Financial System

The core logic of RWA tokenization is straightforward: to digitally map tangible assets with clear value in the real world using blockchain technology, making them tradable, divisible, and programmable on-chain. The significance of this process for the commodities market goes far beyond mere trading convenience.

The traditional precious metals market has long faced several structural limitations. Trading hours are constrained by the opening and closing times of different exchanges; cross-border settlements often take days; and capital transfers require multiple intermediaries. The maturation of tokenization infrastructure is fundamentally changing these constraints. Major global financial regulators and standard-setting organizations have begun systematic discussions on compliance frameworks and the impact of tokenized assets on financial stability.

In March 2026, the World Gold Council (WGC) and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) jointly proposed the “Gold as a Service” shared infrastructure framework, marking a new phase where tokenized gold markets move from isolated projects to industry consensus and standardization. This framework covers custody of physical gold, on-chain token issuance, compliance review, on-chain and off-chain reconciliation, and redemption processes, aiming to establish unified, interoperable technical and operational standards.

Advancing standardization means that the liquidity, interoperability, and institutional acceptance of tokenized gold will be significantly enhanced. When tokens issued by different entities can be exchanged equivalently and transferred across platforms, this asset class can truly evolve from a scattered collection of products into a mature, unified asset category.

Meanwhile, tokenization is expanding into the industrial metals sector. In April 2026, Bridgetower Capital and Chainlink announced bringing a copper mining project in Arizona worth approximately $11 billion onto the blockchain, aiming to digitize the underlying assets and connect production data, reserves, and operational metrics to on-chain systems. The exploration of tokenizing industrial metals like copper and aluminum is broadening the boundaries of the entire digital commodities track.

Gate Metal Trading Zone: Connecting Precious Metals and Crypto Markets with USDT

In January 2026, Gate officially launched the Metal Trading Zone, with initial products being USDT-denominated perpetual contracts for XAU and XAG, supporting 24/7 trading and up to 50x leverage. The design philosophy of this zone is to present traditional precious metals price exposure in a form more familiar to crypto users, using USDT as a unified settlement asset to bridge the capital channels between the two markets.

Tokenized Gold and Silver Spot Assets

As of May 2026, Gate Alpha Metal Zone (under xStocks) supports spot trading of the following three core tokenized metal assets:

XAUT (Tether Gold): A tokenized gold asset issued by Tether, each XAUT is strictly backed by physical gold reserves certified by the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA), with a 1:1 peg.

PAXG (PAX Gold): Issued by Paxos Trust Company regulated by the New York State Department of Financial Services, each PAXG corresponds to one ounce of allocated gold stored in LBMA-approved vaults, also a 1:1 gold-backed ERC-20 token.

SLVON (Tokenized version of iShares Silver Trust): Launched by Ondo Finance, this is a silver tokenized asset that essentially represents the on-chain expression of the iShares Silver Trust, providing holders with economic exposure similar to holding SLV and receiving dividends.

All three assets can be traded directly against USDT, allowing users to buy or sell by entering the amount of USDT.

Multi-Asset Perpetual Contracts

In addition to spot assets, the Gate Metal Zone offers USDT-denominated perpetual contracts covering a variety of metals, including gold index, silver index, platinum, palladium, copper, aluminum, nickel, and lead. Perpetual contracts do not have fixed settlement dates, enabling traders to flexibly manage positions based on market trends, execute swing trades, or hedge.

In April 2026, Gate launched 25 CFD trading pairs across forex, indices, precious metals, and commodities, further expanding its global asset coverage. By May 2026, the platform had over 440 CFD instruments, covering forex, metals, global stock indices, popular stocks, and commodities across five core categories.

The Core Advantage of USDT as a Unified Settlement

Using USDT as the unified settlement asset in Gate’s Metal Zone essentially introduces the capital efficiency logic of the crypto market into traditional precious metals trading. Users can directly allocate precious metals within the crypto ecosystem without going through fiat deposits, broker accounts, or multi-level clearing processes.

For crypto investors, this means assets can be reallocated more quickly between digital assets and metals markets. When market volatility occurs, funds do not need to transfer across systems; USDT accounts can facilitate the management of multiple asset classes seamlessly.

How Gate Metals Lower the Barriers to Global Asset Allocation

Traditional precious metals investment faces several specific obstacles. First, trading hours are limited, as exchanges operate only during certain periods. Second, minimum trading units often involve high entry thresholds, especially for physical metals. Third, there are geographic restrictions, as cross-border investors must navigate different jurisdictions’ account opening and compliance requirements.

Gate’s Metal Zone addresses these pain points from multiple angles.

24/7 trading is the first breakthrough. On-chain assets are not limited by traditional exchange hours, allowing funds to respond instantly to macro events worldwide without waiting for markets to open. This feature is especially crucial in today’s news-driven market environment.

Divisibility is the second core advantage. Tokenized gold and silver support small transaction sizes, significantly lowering the entry barrier for precious metals allocation. Investors can include exposure to metals in their portfolios without purchasing whole ounces or grams.

Unified USDT settlement is the third key design. Users only need USDT to participate in spot and contract trading of gold, silver, platinum, palladium, copper, aluminum, and other metals, without additional fiat conversions.

The trading interface and margin logic further reduce the learning curve associated with traditional markets. For users familiar with crypto trading, Gate’s Metal Zone offers operational logic and USDT settlement methods that are highly consistent with existing crypto trading habits. Precious metals are no longer a foreign market requiring re-adaptation but an asset class that can be integrated into daily trading routines.

Institutionalization and Long-Term Trends of Tokenized Commodities

By 2026, signals of institutionalization in tokenized commodities are becoming increasingly clear.

Institutional participation is expanding: JPMorgan is broadening its tokenization efforts via its Onyx platform, and Fireblocks is building custody and settlement infrastructure. The European MiCA regulatory framework has provided clearer guidance for digital asset issuance and custody, and global compliance infrastructure development is accelerating.

Asset class expansion is also evident: tokenization is extending from gold and silver into industrial metals, stocks, and ETFs. Multiple categories of tokenized assets have shown synchronized growth in trading volume and market cap in 2026, with increasing diversification among market participants.

All these trends point to a clear direction: commodity tokenization is no longer just a future prediction but a current reality.

Gate Metals: A Real-Time Gateway to the Digitalization of Commodities

As global precious metals markets enter a news-driven phase, with prices highly sensitive to USD trends, interest rate expectations, and geopolitical developments, the core market demand has shifted from simple directional judgment to the ability to respond promptly to volatility.

As of May 28, 2026, spot gold is approximately $4,455 per ounce, and spot silver about $74.69 per ounce. After reaching record highs earlier in the year, precious metals markets have entered a consolidation phase, with prices increasingly reactive to macro events and international developments. In this environment, 24/7 trading and convenient contract mechanisms become even more practical for participants.

The significance of Gate’s Metal Zone lies not just in providing an additional entry point for gold and silver trading but in truly integrating the precious metals market into the liquidity and trading efficiency system of the crypto world. Traditional safe-haven assets like gold and silver are no longer isolated from digital assets but become flexible components of crypto investment portfolios. This transformation fundamentally reshapes how global investors access commodities.