Tether Mints 192,657 XAUT (~$946M, ~6t Gold) — Expands Tokenised-Gold Supply
Tether minted 192,657 Tether Gold (XAUT) tokens on Ethereum on January 30, 2026, representing roughly $946 million and about six metric tonnes of physical gold. Each XAUT equals one troy ounce of LBMA-standard gold stored in Swiss vaults and is claimed to be backed 1:1 by physical bars. This large mint meaningfully increased XAUT circulating supply versus the level reported at end‑Q4 2025 (about 520,089 XAUT outstanding) and contributed to XAUT’s market supply growth into early 2026.
Across 2025 Tether materially expanded its physical-gold exposure — corporate disclosures cite roughly 140 metric tonnes of gold held by late 2025, including ~27 tonnes added in Q4 2025. Tether’s tokenised-gold market value was estimated at about $2.25bn at end‑2025 with earlier reports putting its share of the tokenised-gold market near 60%; competitor token supplies (PAXG, Kinesis and others) gained share into early 2026 as the overall tokenised-gold market topped $5bn.
For traders: the January mint increases XAUT circulating supply materially and may affect tokenised-gold liquidity, price discovery and short-term market depth. The move signals Tether’s continued scaling of real‑world-asset token issuance and greater allocation to gold (CEO Paolo Ardoino has discussed directing stablecoin profits toward 10–15% gold allocations). Key figures: 192,657 XAUT minted (~$946M; ~6 metric tonnes gold); ~520,089 XAUT outstanding at end‑Q4 2025; ~140 metric tonnes total gold held by Tether by late 2025. Primary keywords: Tether, XAUT, tokenised gold, real-world assets, stablecoins.
Neutral
The net effect on XAUT price is likely neutral to modestly mixed. The large mint (192,657 XAUT) increases circulating supply and could create short-term downward pressure if demand does not absorb the new tokens immediately, affecting price discovery and liquidity. However, the mint is backed by physical gold and reflects Tether’s substantial on‑balance-sheet gold accumulation (~140 tonnes by late 2025), which supports intrinsic value and investor confidence over the medium-to-long term. For traders, the immediate concern is short-term liquidity and spread widening as markets digest the supply increase; over time, continued corporate accumulation and backing by physical LBMA-standard gold can stabilize valuation and attract more tokenised-gold demand. Overall, expect potential short-term volatility around the mint event but neutral-to-bullish longer-term fundamentals for XAUT, assuming transparency and reliable backing are maintained.