DBS expands gold offerings with market-first tokenised physical gold in Singapore

Amid growing demand and a nation-wide push to cement Singapore’s status as a global gold trading hub, DBS today announced it will offer tokenised physical gold to customers.

For retail customers, DBS Physical Gold Tokens will be available via DBS digibank in the second half of 2026. This will be the first such offering in Singapore to enable customers to digitally access, hold and trade tokenised physical gold through a single platform. The bank is also exploring plans to list the token on DBS Digital Exchange (DDEx), tailored for accredited investors and institutional partners. More details will be announced in due course.

The launch reflects a growing trend as real-world asset tokenisation continues to reshape how investors access traditional asset classes. With the bank’s expertise in digital asset solutions, DBS will tokenise, issue, distribute and manage the physical gold tokens entirely in-house, backed by trusted bank-grade infrastructure.

Enabling more DBS customers to access and invest in gold

By applying blockchain technology to physical gold and making fractionalised ownership possible, investing in this asset class can be more cost-effective and accessible to a wider pool of investors. The service combines the advantages of tokenisation with the stored value of physical gold and will provide customers with several key benefits including:

• Convenience: Customers easily trade tokenised physical gold on a 24/7 basis
• Speed: Atomic settlement enables customers to perform near-instant transactions
• Affordability: Fractional ownership allows customers to purchase, trade and hold smaller amounts, or fractions, of physical gold in the form of tokens
• Greater flexibility: Customers will have the option to redeem their tokens for physical gold

Each token is backed by one gram [~SGD 200 ($155.97)] of physical gold held by DBS in a dedicated vault in Singapore, giving investors greater peace of mind that their assets are safely stored with a trusted banking platform.

The DBS Physical Gold Token offering further strengthens the bank’s existing suite of gold investment solutions, which range from funds to physical bullion, offering customers in Singapore a wider range of ways to invest based on their needs and risk appetite.

The rollout comes amid structural demand for the yellow metal, with gold prices reaching an all-time high of $5,600 per ounce earlier this year. Despite recent price fluctuations, investors across the region continue to seek gold as a store of value and portfolio diversifier to hedge against inflation, geopolitical uncertainty and market volatility.

Li Zhen, head of foreign exchange, precious metals and digital assets, Global Financial Markets, DBS, said: “Our ability to deliver DBS Physical Gold Token is built on DBS’ fully in-sourced, end-to-end institutional capability, physical vaulting, tokenisation engine, digital custody and digitised distribution. Through the secure and compliant deployment, underpinned by robust risk management and governance, we are able to minimise operational friction and streamline physical gold access and management for our clients.”

James Tan, group head, Investment Product and Advisory, DBS, said: “Gold as an asset class has taken off in recent years, demonstrating its enduring value as a safe haven and a critical diversifier in uncertain times. While our retail investors have been able to buy gold funds, access to physical gold has been largely available to only institutional and accredited investors. DBS has offered physical gold investments to wealth clients since 2013, and we are now leveraging tokenisation to broaden access, enabling more retail customers to invest in gold in a safe and meaningful way.”

This initiative is the latest in DBS’ efforts to leverage digital asset technology to transform the future of finance. In 2025, DBS expanded its blockchain capabilities by tokenising structured notes on the Ethereum public blockchain and offering it to eligible investors on third-party digital investment platforms and digital exchanges. In addition, DBS listed sgBENJI, the token of Franklin Templeton’s tokenised money market fund, alongside the Ripple USD stablecoin, enabling eligible DBS clients to rebalance their portfolios into a relatively stable asset 24/7 and within minutes, while earning yield during periods of volatility.

Re-disseminated by Wealth and Society