SmartGold, a leading gold-backed IRA provider, has partnered with tokenization powerhouse Chintai to bring $1.6 billion of vaulted gold onchain, opening a new frontier for real-world asset (RWA) integration in decentralized finance.
The innovative partnership between SmartGold and Chintai allows holders of self-directed IRAs to retain exposure to physical, vaulted gold while benefiting from onchain utility powered by blockchain technology.
Each SmartGold token is backed one-to-one by real bullion kept in secure vaults, providing a fully regulated, transparent way to participate in the gold market. Chintai Nexus, the tokenization infrastructure behind this project, facilitates the process by converting physical gold holdings into secure, digital tokens directly tied to the underlying asset.
The Value Of The SmartGold Partnership
The true impact of this partnership lies in its ability to merge traditional assets like gold with the possibilities of decentralized finance (DeFi). Investors can now deploy their tokenized gold as collateral on lending protocols such as Morpho and Kamino, granting access to US dollar-denominated liquidity for new investments or yield strategies.
Critically, these mechanisms operate while maintaining the tax advantages of the IRA, a win-win for retirement planners eager to balance stability with innovation.
This structure enables gold holders to borrow against their assets and reinvest into other yield-generating ventures, without losing ownership of the underlying gold or compromising their retirement account’s tax-deferred status.
As demand grows for tokenized commodities, the platform’s integration with leading DeFi networks could spark a wave of financial creativity, blending gold’s classic security with digital velocity.
Furthermore, self-directed IRAs, while traditionally representing a modest portion of US retirement savings, account for 2% to 5% of the $10.8 trillion IRA market. By embedding tokenized gold in these accounts, SmartGold and Chintai aim to expand investor access far beyond what the standard gold ETFs or paper alternatives can offer.
Unlike conventional forms of indirect gold exposure, this system provides direct ownership, onchain interactivity, and regulated compliance, addressing both old and new investor needs.
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