The global gold market is approaching a significant transformation.
A report commissioned by the World Gold Council (WGC) and prepared by Boston Consulting Group (BCG), titled Digital Gold: Unlocking a $700-Billion Opportunity, identifies up to USD$700 billion in potential demand for digital gold.
Despite gold’s estimated $13 trillion physical investment market, digital gold represents less than 1% of that market. The report suggests that new technologies, greater accessibility and higher trust in innovative financial products could fundamentally change how people own and benefit from gold.
For nGRND, these findings provide compelling support for the broader thesis and ecosystem model behind its nGRND Gold Protocol and its planned nGRND Gold Token which is intended to create a new category of digital gold ownership based on verified Preserved Gold that remains safely in the ground.
Importantly, the report examines existing digital gold products rather than independently validating the Preserved Gold model. Nevertheless, its conclusions reveal several areas of strategic alignment.
Four Factors Driving the Future of Digital Gold
The report identifies four essential requirements for unlocking digital gold’s potential: trust, accessibility, utility and competitive pricing. These four factors closely reflect the opportunity that the nGRND Gold Protocol and nGRND Gold are pursuing.
1. Trust: Verification Creates Confidence
According to the report, nearly four out of five investors prioritize trusting the provider before investing in digital gold.
Investors want confidence that the gold exists, ownership claims are legitimate, and appropriate secured protections are in place.
The nGRND Gold Token model begins with independently verified in-ground gold resources, supported by industry and regulatory accepted geological documentation and a framework intended to establish transparent, verifiable relationships between digital ownership and underlying Preserved Gold.
Unlike conventional gold-backed tokens, which generally represent previously mined and vaulted gold, the proposed nGRND Gold Token would represent rights associated with verified gold preserved underground.
This approach requires rigorous verification, clearly defined legal rights, transparent valuation methodologies, digitally secured custodianship and auditability, and appropriate investor protections. The principle is straightforward: digital gold must be credible before it can become mainstream.
2. Accessibility: Bringing Gold to a New Generation
The report highlights how digital gold adoption accelerates when products become accessible through familiar digital platforms.
In markets such as India, China and Indonesia, digital gold penetration can be up to seven times higher where banking applications, payment platforms and super-apps provide the usual and known convenient access.
The nGRND Gold Protocol is already developing a digitally engaged Web3 community through its Staking & Rewards Ecosystem to support the participation of individuals interested in digital gold.
Since launching on August 6, 2026, the ecosystem has grown to more than 313,000 Participants who have completed over 6.6 million activities.
Its Dynamic Soulbound Tokens (DSBTs) provide a foundation for verified participation, digital engagement and community development.
This existing ecosystem, with its Learn and Impact Participation Streams could become an important education and credibility channel for future Preserved Gold products.
3. Utility: Making Gold More Than a Store of Value
Perhaps one of the strongest alignments appears in the report’s discussion of utility.
BCG identifies yield generation, collateralisation and payment functionality as important opportunities for digital gold innovation.
Traditionally, gold has been valued for preserving wealth rather than generating income.
The nGRND Gold Protocol introduces a complementary concept: combining gold-related innovation with an active participation economy.
Its existing NGRND utility token powers the Staking & Rewards Ecosystem, where Participants engage in activities and may qualify for rewards distributed in stablecoins, subject to applicable laws and programme conditions.
The future nGRND Gold Token is planned to be a separate fully real-world asset backed virtual asset token representing Preserved Gold, rather than the NGRND utility token itself.
Together, these distinct products could support an ecosystem connecting digital participation, gold-related ownership and new financial applications. Future yield or collateral functionality would require separate product development and regulatory approval.
4. Competitive Pricing: Rethinking Gold’s Economics
The report emphasizes that digital gold must compete economically with physical gold and established investment products.
The nGRND ecosystem introduces a fundamentally different starting point.
Instead of requiring gold to be mined, refined, transported and stored in vaults, the Preserved Gold model seeks to establish value while verified gold remains underground.
This could create opportunities for alternative pricing structures while avoiding extraction-related environmental disturbance.
However, in-ground gold carries geological, legal, liquidity and valuation risks that differ substantially from refined bullion. Competitive pricing must reflect those differences but also offers a highly attractive entry point for investors who face traditional barriers to entry.
The model also creates an opportunity to generate new revenue and values from measured ESG and SDG impact associated with preserving gold resources rather than extracting them and using the land for alternative use cases.
A New Chapter for Digital Gold
The World Gold Council and BCG report concludes that digital gold’s future depends on building trust, expanding access, reaching investors through familiar channels, developing useful applications and offering competitive pricing.
The nGRND ecosystem aligns with these critical priorities while introducing an additional proposition: gold does not necessarily need to leave the ground to become part of the digital economy. It can stay where it is and still offer the stability and store-of-value appeal people associate with gold, while meeting the new demands that digital gold is creating.
With an established participation ecosystem and a vision for verified Preserved Gold, the nGRND Gold Protocol is already positioned to explore an emerging intersection of natural resources, blockchain technology and new sustainability driven revenues.
The $700 billion opportunity is a projection for the broader digital gold market, not a valuation or forecast for the nGRND Gold Token or nGRND Gold Protocol Token..
Nevertheless, the report reinforces an important direction for the industry.
The next generation of gold innovation may be defined not only by how gold is owned and traded, but also by how its value can be recognised, preserved and used.
Source: World Gold Council / Boston Consulting Group, Digital Gold: Unlocking a $700-Billion Opportunity, especially page 5, “What is needed to make this happen?” Market projections are conditional scenarios, not guaranteed outcomes. Intended for informational purposes only.
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