Amid gold’s surge to record highs, the World Gold Council ( WGC ) has unveiled a bold vision to digitize and modernize one of the world’s most enduring financial markets, the wholesale gold trade.

Setting the stage for a digital overhaul of the centuries-old gold market, the WGC, in collaboration with Linklaters and Hilltop Walk Consulting, has launched a blueprint to digitize the wholesale gold market through Wholesale Digital Gold.

The initiative introduces a novel settlement structure known as pooled gold interests ( PGI ), which will offer fractional, physical ownership of vaulted gold, with enhanced utility, transparency, and regulatory alignment.

The move would bridge the operational complexity of allocated gold and counterparty risks associated with unallocated gold accounts, which have long been regarded as industry pain points.

PGIs are designed to increase gold’s viability in modern finance, enabling simplified use as collateral, easy transferability, and fractional ownership down to granular levels, even for institutional portfolios.

“Wholesale Digital Gold is a vision to transform the way gold is owned and traded,” says WGC chief executive officer David Tait. “By fusing physical gold with digital infrastructure, we’re offering a better alternative to today’s binary settlement systems. This is about creating trust, liquidity, and usability in a new gold market architecture.”

The legal backbone for this innovation is provided by Linklaters, which has crafted a technology-neutral legal framework that allows for the co-ownership of physical gold and the issuance of digital interests backed by vaulted assets.

The WGC is now actively inviting market participants, regulators, and technology providers to shape the next phase of this gold market evolution.

The concept is expected to reinforce London’s dominance in the global gold trading market. With the Loco London market processing over 20 million ounces daily, the WGC believes the United Kingdom is uniquely positioned to lead in setting global standards.