GoldZip Launches Hong Kong Digital Gold Initiative and Lists XGZ Token on EX.IO

GoldZip has launched the Hong Kong Digital Gold Expansion Initiative, listing its XGZ gold token on the licensed EX.IO trading platform. By prioritizing the Hong Kong market, the firm aims to integrate physical bullion infrastructure with digital settlement, providing professional investors with a compliant secondary market for tokenized gold assets while advancing cross-chain interoperability.

What was announced

GoldZip is shifting its primary growth focus to Hong Kong to meet increasing institutional demand for digital gold applications. Central to this initiative is the listing of the XGZ token on EX.IO, a licensed virtual asset trading platform. This listing provides a regulated secondary market specifically for eligible professional investors, bridging local investment demand with physical bullion resources.

The expansion is supported by ecosystem partner Midas Labs, with whom GoldZip is developing trading channels and physical gold infrastructure. On the technical front, the companies are integrating the Chainlink Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) 2.0 to facilitate broader asset movement. Furthermore, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed with Universal Digital Intl Limited, the issuer of the UAE-based stablecoin USDU, to explore synergies between the Asian digital gold market and stablecoin ecosystems.

The initiative follows a successful pilot program with The Hong Kong Gold Exchange (HKGX). During this trial, XGZ served as the underlying asset for a tokenized gold transaction settlement pilot, which utilized tokenized deposits. The project achieved end-to-end operational verification of gold transactions, demonstrating the viability of Delivery-versus-Payment (DvP) models in digitized gold trading. The official launch was marked by an industry event on November 3 at the HKGX Trading Hall, attended by HKGX Chairman Dr. Haywood Cheung and The Honourable Mrs. Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee.

"We have been actively exploring digital gold adoption across various markets, and Hong Kong is currently our priority focus. Our objective extends far beyond merely adding another trading venue; driven by market demand, we aim to combine HKGX's institutional bullion foundation, Midas Labs' ecosystem development capabilities, and our partner network to transform gold from simply an asset to 'hold' into one that is 'far more efficient to trade and apply.'"

Barry Ip, Director of GoldZip

The companies involved

GoldZip is a fintech firm specialized in the digitization of precious metals, focusing on creating liquid, tradable tokens backed by physical gold. Its primary partner in this initiative, Midas, has established itself as a significant force in the retail and institutional investment sector. Midas recently secured $80 million in a Series B funding round, which represented the largest-ever fintech investment in Turkey. This followed an earlier $11 million seed round supported by Spark Capital and Earlybird Digital East.

The trading infrastructure is provided by EX.IO, a licensed virtual asset platform operating within Hong Kong's regulatory framework. Its research arm, EX.IO Lab, has been active in exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence and blockchain settlement. The initiative also relies on the institutional foundation of The Hong Kong Gold Exchange (HKGX), one of the region's primary venues for bullion trading, currently led by Chairman Dr. Haywood Cheung. The involvement of HKGX provides the necessary physical infrastructure and regulatory oversight required for tokenized settlement pilots.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has closely followed the development of the partners involved in this initiative. We previously covered how Midas Secures $80 Million Series B, Marking Turkey's Largest-Ever Fintech Investment, a move that signaled the company's aggressive expansion strategy. This followed our report on the company's earlier growth phase when Midas raises $11M with Spark Capital, Earlybird Digital East and Nigel Morris. Additionally, we reported on the technical evolution of the trading platform partner in EX.IO Lab Unveils AI-Driven Agentic Payment Proof of Concept at Hong Kong FinTech Week, which highlighted the firm's focus on automated, verifiable payment systems.

What this means

This initiative signals a shift in the Real World Asset (RWA) space from speculative retail tokens toward institutional-grade settlement tools. By integrating with the Hong Kong Gold Exchange for a DvP pilot, GoldZip is addressing the primary hurdle for digital assets: the gap between on-chain tokens and off-chain physical custody. Traditional bullion dealers are now under significant pressure to adopt these digital standards or risk losing liquidity to more efficient, tokenized platforms. The move reinforces Hong Kong’s status as a testing ground for regulated crypto-financial products, though the restriction to professional investors suggests that widespread retail adoption of tokenized gold remains a secondary objective for regulators.