94 tonnes of tokenized gold ( XAUt ) was moved instantly for 0.0016% in fees over the last 6 months – while central banks spend millions of dollars to move  their bullion

That comparison, recently highlighted by Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino in February 2026, perfectly captures the “analog vs. digital” divide in modern finance.

Moving 94 tonnes of physical gold is a logistical nightmare involving armored convoys, specialized aircraft, and massive insurance premiums. Doing the same with Tether Gold (XAUt) is essentially just updating a ledger on a blockchain.

While the efficiency is undeniable, it is worth noting that central banks aren’t switching to XAUt just yet for one primary reason: Sovereignty. Central banks move gold to ensure they have physical possession within their own borders during geopolitical crises. For them, the “millions spent” is an insurance policy against systemic collapse. However, for every other use case—trading, hedging, and payments—the 0.0016% fee makes a very compelling argument for tokenization.

The efficiency gap between tokenized assets and legacy bullion logistics is most evident when comparing the movement of 94 tonnes of gold. Over the last six months, Tether Gold (XAUt) facilitated this massive transfer of value with a total fee of just 0.0016%, a figure that stands in stark contrast to the millions of dollars central banks must spend on armored transport, international security, and insurance for physical repatriation.

While physical gold movement is a sluggish process—often taking weeks or months to navigate the complexities of global logistics—tokenized gold operates with near-instant finality on the blockchain. Furthermore, the digital format allows for extreme utility; XAUt is divisible down to 0.000001 troy oz, whereas central banks are restricted to handling physical bars and coins, which are difficult to move, store, and fractionally trade.