Introducing the "1/1000 ounce of gold" unit, "stablecoin leader" Tether strongly promotes the circulation of "gold-backed stablecoins."

The world's largest stablecoin issuer Tether has launched a new measurement unit for gold, attempting to promote the use of gold in the payment sector.

On Tuesday, Tether published a blog post announcing the introduction of the term Scudo, a new measurement unit for Tether's "gold-backed stablecoin" XAUT, aimed at making gold a payment method accessible to everyone.

According to Tether's definition, one Scudo is equal to one-thousandth of a troy ounce of gold, which is also equivalent to one-thousandth of the gold-backed token XAUT issued by the company. At current prices, one Scudo is valued at approximately $4.48.

Tether stated that ongoing global inflation concerns, interest rate uncertainty, record gold purchases by central banks, and increased demand for safe-haven assets create an opportunity to restore gold as a universally trusted and transparent means of payment throughout human history.

According to CoinGecko data, Tether's XAUT token has a market capitalization of $2.3 billion, nearly tripling in the past year. The company claims that the actual amount of gold held far exceeds the value of its tokens, with Tether holding 116 tons of gold as of the end of Q3 2025, valued at nearly $17 billion based on Tuesday's prices.

(Tether's XAUT token has a market capitalization of $2.3 billion)

Creating a Micro Unit of Gold Inspired by Bitcoin's "Satoshi" Concept

Tether pointed out that the usage of "Scudo" is similar to "satoshi" in Bitcoin, which represents the smallest unit of Bitcoin, equivalent to one hundred millionth of a Bitcoin, currently valued at about $0.001.

The term "Scudo" dates back to the 16th century and was used to describe various coins in Italy, typically hammered from metal blanks, with the term originating from the Latin word for "shield."

This similarity to Tether's logo may not be a coincidence. The company's CEO Paolo Ardoino and CFO Giancarlo Devasini were both born in Italy. Last year, Tether also acquired a minority stake in the Italian football club Juventus.

Paolo Ardoino stated:

Gold has once again proven that it stands alongside Bitcoin as the ultimate store of value. XAUT digitizes gold, and now with Scudo, we lower the barrier to entry, allowing anyone to own, easily price, and trade even a small portion of the world's most trusted asset.

**Tether emphasized that the launch of Scudo does not change the fact that the gold supporting the XAUT token is "stored in secure vaults." The company's website indicates that if individuals wish to redeem their tokens, they can have gold bars shipped to "any physical address in Switzerland." **

The Tether website shows that XAUT is backed by reserves equivalent to 16.2 tons of 1,329 gold bars. The company released its first proof report for the token last April, but the report did not comply with International Financial Reporting Standards due to the lack of key disclosures and statements from the stablecoin issuer.

Competition in the Gold Token Market Heats Up

Tether emphasized in a blog post that, although most of the company's products are pegged to the US dollar, factors such as ongoing inflation concerns, interest rate uncertainty, record central bank purchases, and increased demand for safe-haven assets create opportunities for gold to be restored as a universally accepted medium of exchange.

In April of this year, Ardoino stated on social media that XAUT "has gained significant traction in emerging markets."

By staking XAUT tokens, customers can receive a smaller amount of aUSDT tokens, which function similarly to Tether's USD 187 billion stablecoin, also pegged to the US dollar.

A few months before the launch of Tether's XAUT, stablecoin issuer Paxos launched PAXG, the first digital asset redeemable for gold.

According to CoinGecko data, the market capitalization of the token was USD 1.7 billion on Tuesday, doubling in the past year. Paxos stated:

After the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) approved its national bank charter last month, PAXG will become the only gold token issued under federal regulatory supervision with institutional-grade standards.

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