Digital Gold Market Poised for Growth to $170 Billion by 2031

The report, which analyzed over 70 digital gold products and surveyed 12,000 retail investors, suggests that annual growth could hit 27% over the next five years. While the base forecast reaches $170 billion, researchers identified a latent demand potential of $700 billion, provided the industry successfully addresses systemic barriers to adoption. Currently, digital gold accounts for less than 1% of the $13 trillion physical investment gold market.

Trading activity has surged, with tokenized gold spot volume exceeding $90 billion in the first quarter of 2026 alone—a figure already surpassing the total for all of 2025. Despite this momentum, David Tait, CEO of the World Gold Council, emphasized that scale remains dependent on robust infrastructure. To bridge the gap, the organization is developing 'Gold as a Service' to standardize issuance, custody, and compliance. Adoption currently proves most successful in markets like China, India, and Indonesia, where digital gold is integrated directly into established banking and payment applications.