Tokenized gold enters US IRAs in $1.6B SmartGold–Chintai rollout

The partnership allows US investors to hold vaulted gold in self-directed IRAs, providing exposure to regulated DeFi strategies.

Gold-backed IRA provider SmartGold is moving $1.6 billion of vaulted assets onchain through a partnership with tokenization platform Chintai Nexus, potentially opening the door to tokenized gold investments through self-directed US Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs).

Each gold token is backed one-for-one with physical bullion and can be deployed as collateral across decentralized finance (DeFi) lending protocols, the companies said Tuesday.

The structure works by having investors purchase and store vaulted gold through a SmartGold self-directed IRA. Chintai then tokenizes the holdings, issuing digital representations tied directly to the physical asset.

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