TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Bank of Taiwan recently hosted a forum on the applications and future development of precious metal real-world asset tokenization.
Chair Ling Jong-yuan (凌忠嫄) said precious metals have long been a core business for the bank. As blockchain and digital finance evolve, the bank aims to explore tokenization of assets such as gold to improve trading efficiency and portfolio flexibility, according to CTEE.
Nearly 100 participants from the financial sector and related industries attended the event. They said blockchain, which reduces constraints in storage, liquidity, and transaction costs, could reshape the gold market.
Gold tokenization could also serve as a starting point for broader asset tokenization, with potential applications in decentralized finance and cross-border payments. However, participants noted further development will depend on regulatory frameworks, custody systems, compliance design and institutional adjustments.
Blockchain is a distributed database system that enables transparent information sharing across business networks. In traditional systems, asset transactions often rely on trusted third parties to verify records, making them vulnerable if centralized systems are compromised, according to Amazon Web Services.
By contrast, blockchain records transactions in a decentralized, tamper-resistant ledger where updates are validated across the network and reflected in real time, reducing the risk of record manipulation. The technology underpins applications such as digital currencies, including Bitcoin.
The Bank of Taiwan said tokenization could turn gold from a traditional safe-haven asset into a programmable, interoperable digital asset. It said it aims to play a leading role in advancing precious metal real-world asset tokenization and serve as a reference for the sector’s development in Taiwan.
