Why Tether Gold’s Demand Looks Set to Stay Elevated in 2026 | US Crypto News
Welcome to the US Crypto News Morning Briefing—your essential rundown of the most important developments in crypto for the day ahead.
Grab a coffee, because this is one of those slow-burning market stories that’s quietly getting bigger. While crypto headlines remain dominated by geopolitics, metals, and macro-driven swings, a different trend is coming up, where steady capital is moving into tokenized gold like Tether’s XAUT.
Crypto News of the Day: Tokenized Gold Is Quietly Becoming Crypto’s Defensive TradeDemand for Tether Gold (XAUT) is increasingly showing signs of durability so far into 2026, driven by a combination of:
- Whale accumulation
- Geopolitical uncertainty,
- Rising gold prices, and
- Expanding exchange access.
On-chain data and market commentary suggest that tokenized gold is no longer a fringe crypto product. Rather, it is an emerging defensive allocation within digital asset portfolios.
Recent blockchain activity highlights sustained interest from large holders, with purchases stemming from a broader pattern of coordinated accumulation by high-net-worth wallets.
“Another whale has bought a large amount of gold. 0x8c08 spent $8.49 million to buy 1,948 $XAUT ($8.49 million) at an average price of $4,357,” wrote on-chain analytics platform Lookonchain.
Coin Bureau also flagged similar activity, indicating that whales are buying gold on-chain, with six linked wallets buying 3,102 XAUT at an average price of $4,422. According to Onchain Lens, they spent roughly $13.7 million.
“On-chain capital continues rotating into tokenized gold,” wrote Coin Bureau.
Combined, these transactions point to institutional-scale positioning rather than opportunistic retail flows.
On-chain analyst EmberCN adds further context, showing that some of these wallets previously allocated heavily to Bitcoin before pivoting toward gold-backed tokens.
“Whales Betting on ‘Gold’: 2 months ago, they bought $30 million worth of [digital gold] $BTC, and today they bought another $8.5 million worth of [real gold] XAUtm,” they said.
The same wallets are now sitting on unrealized Bitcoin losses, while holding “a floating profit of $410,000” on XAUT and PAXG purchases. These reinforce gold’s role as a hedge against volatility.
Geopolitics, Utility, and Accessibility: Why XAUT Is Gaining MomentumThis rotation comes against a backdrop of rising geopolitical tensions, which historically drive demand for safe-haven assets. Market sentiment on social media increasingly reflects this shift.
big money moves into $XAUT space now
— Kevihaiceth