BTCC, a cryptocurrency exchange, reported a massive surge in tokenized gold trading volume for 2025, reaching $5.72 billion for the year. The standout performance came in the fourth quarter, which alone generated $2.74 billion in volume—nearly half of the annual total. This represented an extraordinary 809% jump compared to the first quarter of 2025 and a 130% increase quarter-over-quarter.
According to BTCC Product Manager Marcus Chen, the explosive growth reflects gold's role as a macro hedge during periods of geopolitical tension and policy uncertainty in 2025. He stated that tokenized products allow users to trade precious metals using crypto collateral without leaving the exchange environment. Tokenized gold was BTCC's fastest-growing segment, expanding almost eightfold from Q1 to Q4 and outperforming other asset classes on the platform.
The exchange offers three primary USDT-margined perpetual futures contracts for gold exposure: GOLDUSDT (tracking spot gold prices), PAXGUSDT (based on Paxos's regulated PAX Gold token), and XAUTUSDT (linked to Tether Gold). The PAXG and XAUT products are particularly notable as they bridge derivatives trading with the broader real-world asset (RWA) tokenization trend.
Within BTCC's wider derivatives business, which reported $53.1 billion in total tokenized futures volume for 2025, gold accounted for roughly 10.7%. This double-digit share indicates a significant shift in trader behavior, positioning tokenized commodities as a core trading category rather than a niche product. The growth aligns with a broader market push toward RWAs, where investors seek exposure to traditional hedges and yield instruments via crypto infrastructure.
Looking ahead, BTCC is signaling plans to expand beyond gold, working on adding more commodities and traditional finance-linked products. Chen framed gold as the first major proof point for tokenized exposure at scale. The sustainability of this growth may depend on continued gold price volatility and macro conditions, but the exchange aims to establish these products as permanent portfolio fixtures, not just crisis hedges. The data was published in BTCC's Q4 2025 Growth Report.
