Tether has launched Scudo, a new unit of account for Tether Gold (XAUT), intended to make gold easier to price, transfer, and use in everyday economic activity.
In a press release, the firm said the launch comes as global gold prices and demand sit at record highs, driven by inflation concerns, interest-rate uncertainty, and aggressive central bank buying.
Tether argues that this transition, combined with unchecked money creation, has reintroduced inflationary pressures that are renewing interest in gold as a neutral store of value.
Gold surged through 2025 as investors sought protection against eroding purchasing power and macro volatility. While confidence in gold’s long-term value remains strong, its usability as a medium of exchange has steadily declined since the global shift to fiat currencies.
By transacting in Scudo rather than fractional ounces, users can price goods and services more naturally, improving gold’s viability not just as a store of value but also as a medium of exchange. The unit simplifies transfers, accounting, and everyday use cases as gold prices continue to rise.
Scudo addresses that final usability hurdle. One Scudo represents one-thousandth of a troy ounce of gold, effectively creating a smaller, intuitive denomination for XAUT. The approach mirrors Bitcoin’s use of satoshis, which allowed the network to scale payments without relying on long decimal values.
“Gold is once again proving its role as the ultimate store of value alongside Bitcoin,” said Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether. He added that Scudo lowers barriers to entry by making gold easier to own, price, and transact, noting that user experience remains one of the digital asset industry’s biggest challenges.
The introduction of Scudo builds on Tether’s wider infrastructure push. The company has also released a developer-focused technology layer that allows firms, developers, and AI agents to deploy self-custodial wallets supporting XAU₮, other stablecoins, and Bitcoin across devices and operating systems.
