Under the institutional gold hoarding trend, how can ordinary people return to the gold market?

The gold market is currently undergoing a subtle yet rapidly advancing structural transformation. Traditionally, gold—whether in the form of jewelry, coins, or bars—has been used by ordinary families as a means of wealth preservation, wedding gifts, or asset allocation. However, today, this world of gold that is accessible to everyone is increasingly moving towards institutionalization and centralization. For ordinary people, this signals a rise in barriers to entry and a prelude to a shift in opportunities—the world of gold has not truly closed its doors; it has merely changed the direction of its entrance.

Strong Institutional Demand: Central Banks, ETFs, and Investment Sectors are Increasing Their Holdings

Gold is increasingly dominated by large-scale, structural demand. According to data from the China Gold Association, in the first three quarters of 2025, domestic gold ETF holdings increased by approximately 79 tons, a year-on-year growth of about 164%. By the end of the third quarter of 2025, China's official gold reserves reached approximately 2,303 tons, accounting for about 7.7% of its foreign exchange reserves. Research from the World Gold Council also indicates that most central banks expect their gold reserves to continue growing over the next 12 months.

These data points collectively reflect a trend: gold is transitioning from a "mass consumer good" to a "structured asset"; it is no longer just about "buying jewelry for value preservation," but increasingly becoming a strategic asset allocated by institutions.

Why Ordinary Consumers Are Stopping: Barriers Are Being Raised

In stark contrast to the institutional ramp-up, the pathways for ordinary people to access gold are becoming increasingly difficult. The reasons are mainly as follows:

1. High Prices

Driven by global risk aversion and expectations of currency depreciation, gold prices continue to reach new highs, making the investment required for physical gold (especially bars and jewelry) increasingly substantial.

2. Increased Taxes and Regulatory Adjustments

The institutional costs associated with taxation, value-added processing, and circulation of physical gold are rising, making holding and liquidating it more challenging.

3. Practical Barriers to Holding and Circulation

From purchasing and storage to selling, the process of dealing with physical gold is cumbersome for ordinary consumers.

4. Diversification of Asset Choices and Resource Diversion

As investment channels expand (stocks, funds, digital assets, etc.), some ordinary investors choose to sit on the sidelines or shift to other assets against the backdrop of rising barriers to gold.

In other words, if you are still using "buying jewelry or gold bars" as your primary way to enter the gold market, you may be in a phase where "entry barriers are being raised," making it easy to miss out on new channels with "low barriers + high potential."

Opportunity Window in Structural Change: New Entry Points for Ordinary Investors

Given that the trend of "institutional ramp-up and rising barriers for ordinary people" has been established, the key for ordinary investors is to find new entry points beyond traditional barriers. Specifically, the following four dimensions are particularly critical:

1. Low Entry Barriers

Compared to traditional physical gold investments that often start at hundreds of thousands or even millions, a new path with lower barriers is making it possible for ordinary investors to re-enter the world of gold.

2. Greater Liquidity and Operability

Physical gold is easy to buy but difficult to circulate, often limited in terms of liquidation and transfer; if investment tools can facilitate online operations and support trading and on-chain verification, gold can transform from "static storage" to "an asset that can flow at any time."

3. Transparency and Verifiable Mechanisms

Traditional physical gold has high trust costs in terms of authenticity, storage, and circulation. However, a model based on "physical gold collateral + on-chain public verification" would significantly enhance transparency and trust.

4. Structural Dividend Period Still Exists

As institutions continue to lock in their holdings while the public has not yet widely entered the market, this "institutional lead, retail lag" pattern has created a temporary structural opportunity window. In other words, we are currently in a "transition period" of market restructuring; missing this phase may mean waiting for the next cycle.

Digital Gold: The "Key" for Ordinary People to Enter a New Era of Gold

In the structural changes of the gold market, the digital gold XAUm launched by Matrixport's RWA platform Matrixdock is becoming an important channel for ordinary investors to re-enter the gold market. It brings the value of one troy ounce of physical gold onto the blockchain in a way that is low-barrier, highly transparent, and highly liquid, redefining the possibilities of gold investment:

1. Low Entry Barriers, Buy and Sell Anytime

Unlike physical gold bars or coins that often start at tens of thousands, each XAUm represents 1 troy ounce of 99.99% pure LBMA-certified gold. Users can easily purchase through the Matrixdock platform without needing a bank account, physical delivery, or being restricted by location or trading hours.

2. Real Physical Support, Transparent and Verifiable

Each XAUm is backed by a corresponding numbered physical gold stored in high-security vaults that meet LBMA standards, managed by professional custodians. Users can verify the bar ID, weight, refinery, and vault location of the physical gold reserves through the Gold Allocation Lookup tool provided by Matrixdock. The platform regularly publishes independent third-party audit reports confirming that the issuance of XAUm tokens matches the offline gold reserves 1:1.

3. High Liquidity and Global Transferability

As an RWA asset, XAUm supports free transfer and circulation between on-chain wallets and has the potential to be compatible with multi-chain ecosystems, allowing gold assets to transition from "static collection" to "liquid on-chain assets." Users can also explore collateral, liquidity management, and other extended application scenarios through supported ecosystem protocols.

When institutions are hoarding gold on a large scale and retail investors are still on the sidelines, if you remain stuck in traditional gold purchasing methods, you may already be blocked from entry. The gold market is shifting from "households buying jewelry" to an era dominated by institutions, central banks, and ETFs. In this structural change, digital gold XAUm provides ordinary investors with a new entry point—re-engaging in the gold market with lower barriers, higher transparency, and greater liquidity. For ordinary people, seizing this transformative opportunity may be the key to reclaiming the "golden era."