XAUT Price Trend Analysis: Opportunities and Outlook for Tokenized Gold in 2026

Recently, the global spot gold market prices have continued to rise, and under this wave, tokenized assets anchored to physical gold have shown even more remarkable explosive growth. Represented by Tether Gold (XAUT), the market capitalization of digital gold products increased by an astonishing 177% in 2025.

Currently, the entire tokenized gold market has expanded to approximately $4.4 billion, with Tether Gold (XAUT) and Paxos Gold (PAXG) jointly accounting for nearly 89% of the market share. According to the latest data from Gate, as of January 15, 2026, the real-time price of XAUT is $4,597.9, with a total market cap of about $2.39 billion.

Market Status: Explosive Growth of Tokenized Gold

In the wave of asset tokenization, gold is becoming the brightest star. Over the past year, the tokenized gold market has undergone a structural transformation, with growth rates far surpassing those of physical gold itself and most traditional gold ETF products.

Market data shows that the on-chain gold product market value soared from about $1.6 billion in 2025 to $4.4 billion, a net increase of nearly $2.8 billion. This growth accounts for nearly a quarter of the net inflow in the entire physical asset (RWA) sector.

More notably, trading activity has shifted. In 2025, the total on-chain trading volume of tokenized gold reached approximately $178 billion, making it the second-largest gold investment product by global trading volume. Tether Gold (XAUT) played a key role. In Q4 2025, XAUT contributed 75% of the trading volume in this sector, a significant jump from 27% in Q3.

Core Analysis of XAUT: When Traditional Gold Embraces Blockchain

Tether Gold (XAUT) is a digital asset fully backed 1:1 by physical gold. Its core design is simple yet powerful: each XAUT token represents ownership of one troy ounce of physical gold stored in a Swiss professional vault, compliant with London Good Delivery (LGD) standards. This design brings revolutionary convenience to gold investment. Investors no longer need to worry about transportation, storage, and security issues of physical gold, as they can transfer value globally via blockchain networks almost instantly.

Tether regularly publishes third-party audit reports to verify that the physical gold reserves in its vaults match the circulating XAUT tokens exactly. This transparency aims to build a strong market trust foundation. According to official data, as of recent, XAUT is supported by 1,329 gold bars, totaling approximately 16,239 kilograms of physical gold.

Price Dynamics: In-Depth Observation Based on Gate Market Data

As of January 15, 2026, according to Gate market data, the key market figures for XAUT are as follows:

• Real-time price: $4,597.9
• 24-hour trading volume: $3.21 million
• Circulating market cap: $2.39 billion
• Circulating supply: 520.08K XAUT

In terms of short-term price fluctuations, XAUT has slightly decreased by 0.64% in the past 24 hours, and the market is in consolidation. However, over a longer timeframe, its resilience is more evident: up +3.75% over the past 7 days, +7.12% over the past 30 days, and an increase of +74.33% over the past year, demonstrating a strong correlation with the long-term appreciation trend of gold.

Currently, XAUT’s price is fluctuating around the historical high point ($4,630.42), indicating market hesitation before a breakout.

Price Influencing Factors and Future Outlook

As a bridging asset, the price outlook of XAUT is influenced by a complex array of factors from both traditional finance and the crypto space.

Macroeconomic conditions and risk-hedging demand are fundamental drivers. Under global economic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions, and expectations of major central banks (like the Federal Reserve) shifting monetary policies, gold’s traditional safe-haven attributes are highlighted. This provides a solid value foundation for XAUT linked to gold prices.

On-chain adoption and RWA narratives are key growth catalysts. Tokenized gold is the most mature and recognized segment within the physical asset (RWA) track. As more institutional investors seek efficient blockchain-based allocation of gold assets and demand diversification and inflation-resistant assets grow, the demand for products like XAUT is expected to continue rising.

Based on multiple market analyses, there are different scenarios for XAUT’s long-term price prospects. Some analysts believe that, under baseline conditions, if the fundamentals of gold and the trend of digital asset integration remain stable, XAUT’s price could steadily rise along with gold prices in the long term. Notably, institutions like Morgan Stanley have issued optimistic forecasts for physical gold prices, expecting it to reach $4,800 per ounce by the end of 2026, which provides a reference anchor for XAUT’s future value.

Advantages of Trading XAUT on Gate

For investors wishing to participate in the trend of tokenized gold, choosing a reliable and efficient trading platform is crucial.

Gate, as a leading global cryptocurrency exchange, offers deep liquidity and a secure trading environment for XAUT. Users can conveniently access real-time prices, trading pair depth, and complete historical candlestick charts on Gate, providing comprehensive data support for decision-making.

The platform not only supports efficient spot trading but also offers flexible digital asset management tools. Investors can buy, hold, or trade XAUT as easily as any mainstream crypto asset, enjoying the convenience brought by blockchain technology while avoiding the complex costs of holding physical gold.

Today, the market size of tokenized gold has reached $4.3 billion, expanding at a monthly rate of 18%. When investors click their mouse late at night to complete a cross-ocean transfer of XAUT, the physical world—an highly guarded vault in Switzerland—records their gold bar’s serial number, and the digital ownership certificate is permanently recorded on the blockchain. This is no longer just gold investment; it is a silent revolution in the way value is stored, transferred, and verified.