Tether Introduces Scudo as a New Unit of Account for Tether Gold

On 6 January 2026, Tether announced the launch of Scudo, a new unit of account for Tether Gold (XAU₮), designed to make gold usable as a practical means of payment for everyday transactions. The move comes as global interest in gold and its price reach record highs.

Record Gold Prices Highlight Demand for Stable Value

Gold surged to historic highs throughout 2025, driven by persistent inflation, interest-rate uncertainty, record central bank accumulation, and growing demand for safe-haven assets. As confidence in fiat currencies continues to erode due to unchecked money printing and inflation, gold is once again emerging as a trusted store of value.

Digital Gold Solves Ownership but Not Usability

While belief in gold’s value remains strong, practical usage has long been a challenge. Tether Gold already solved part of this problem by digitizing physical gold through XAU₮, enabling global, internet-speed transfers of gold-backed value. Tether also introduced its Wallet Development Kit, allowing developers, companies, and AI agents to build self-custodial wallets that support XAU₮, other stablecoins, and Bitcoin across any device or operating system.

Decimal Complexity Limited Everyday Gold Transactions

Despite these advances, pricing and transacting in fractional ounces of gold has remained unintuitive for daily use. Long decimal values create friction, making gold cumbersome as a medium of exchange rather than a simple unit of account.

Scudo Simplifies Gold Pricing and Transfers

Scudo addresses this issue by introducing a smaller, more intuitive unit of account. One Scudo is defined as one thousandth of a troy ounce of gold, or one thousandth of an XAU₮. This approach mirrors Bitcoin’s use of satoshis, making it easier to price goods, send value, and think in gold-based terms without complex decimals.

Gold Becomes More Practical as a Medium of Exchange

By allowing transactions in whole or partial Scudo units, Tether enables clearer pricing and smoother transfers. Goods and services can be priced directly in Scudo rather than fractional ounces, helping gold function more naturally in everyday economic activity rather than remaining only a long-term store of value.

Tether Emphasizes Accessibility and User Experience

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said gold is once again proving its role as a foundational store of value alongside Bitcoin. He emphasized that while XAU₮ made gold digital, Scudo lowers the barrier to entry by improving usability and accessibility. Ardoino highlighted user experience as one of the digital asset industry’s greatest weaknesses and positioned Tether’s 500 million users across emerging markets as proof of its focus on financial inclusion.

Gold Backing and Transparency Remain Unchanged

Scudo does not alter the structure or backing of Tether Gold. XAU₮ remains fully backed by physical gold stored in secure vaults, with ownership verifiable on-chain through Tether’s asset transparency tools. Scudo simply provides a clearer and more convenient way to measure and transact gold value as prices continue to rise.

Tether Gold Adoption Continues to Accelerate

As of December 2025, Tether Gold has seen rapid adoption among users seeking long-term wealth preservation, portfolio diversification, and exposure to gold without the storage and custodial challenges of traditional ownership. This growing demand has resulted in XAU₮’s market capitalization doubling within a few months.

Scudo Reflects Tether’s Broader Vision

The introduction of Scudo aligns with Tether’s strategy to modernize access to traditional assets using blockchain infrastructure. By making gold more divisible, accessible, and usable in a digital economy, Tether aims to transform one of history’s most trusted assets into a practical tool for global, everyday finance.