Tokenized gold is becoming productive collateral in crypto lending, Arch says
Aug 29, 2026
Tokenized gold has moved deeper into crypto lending after Aave’s XAUT-backed debt reached a $25 million ceiling and Arch Lending added loans against the two largest gold tokens.
Aave demand has tested tokenized gold lending capacity
Although the Aave activity showed that investors were willing to borrow against tokenized bullion, Chaos Labs found that the market was highly concentrated. Its February assessment said the largest position accounted for more than 75% of all debt secured by XAUT.
Tokenized gold lets holders borrow without selling
For investors who still want exposure to gold, Sahay said borrowing and selling meet different financial needs. A sale closes the position, while a collateralized loan supplies cash or stablecoins without requiring the investor to give up the asset immediately.
Gold and Bitcoin serve different collateral needs
Rather than presenting tokenized gold as a replacement for Bitcoin, Sahay said the assets offer different characteristics to borrowers and lenders.
Bitcoin has more established liquidity across crypto markets and plays a central role as a native digital asset. Gold, however, has a much longer record as a store of value and has historically experienced less price volatility than Bitcoin, according to Sahay.
Arch has added PAXG and XAUT-backed loans
Within that developing market, Arch Lending has started accepting PAXG and XAUT as collateral at up to 75% LTV, according to information supplied by the company. Anchorage Digital will hold the pledged tokens.
The company’s public website has not yet added PAXG and XAUT to its displayed list of supported assets, which still names BTC, ETH and SOL and shows an LTV of up to 60% for existing loans. The 75% limit and support for both gold tokens therefore come from the company’s new product information.
Competitors already offer parts of the same service. Nexo says eligible customers can borrow against PAXG or XAUT, subject to location and account requirements, while YouHodler and CoinRabbit advertise PAXG-backed products. Ledn announced XAUT-backed lending in June but said the service would become available later in 2026.
US borrowers face tax, access and liquidation questions
For US investors, borrowing against an appreciated digital asset generally differs from selling it because the Internal Revenue Service treats a sale or other disposal as an event that requires the owner to calculate a capital gain or loss. A loan does not involve the same immediate disposal, although a lender’s sale of collateral may create tax consequences.
Individual circumstances, loan structures and liquidation events can affect reporting, and the IRS advises digital-asset owners to keep transaction records and consult a qualified tax professional when necessary.
Arch operates legally as ChainFi Inc. and provides loans to US borrowers under NMLS number 2637200. Its disclosures state that product availability and interest rates vary by jurisdiction, loan type, and principal amount.
According to the company’s current state restrictions, loans are unavailable to individual residents of California, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Vermont. Arch also requires borrowers to complete identity checks before transferring collateral and receiving USD or USDC.
