Amid growing demand and a nation-wide push to cement Singapore’s status as a global gold trading hub, DBS has on Thursday announced it will offer tokenized physical gold to customers.

For retail customers, DBS Physical Gold Tokens will be available via DBS digibank in the second half of 2026, the lender said in a statement.

This will be the first such offering in Singapore to enable customers to digitally access, hold and trade tokenized physical gold through a single platform.

The bank is also exploring plans to list the token on DBS Digital Exchange (DDEx), tailored for accredited investors and institutional partners. More details will be announced in due course.

The launch reflects a growing trend as real-world asset tokenization continues to reshape how investors access traditional asset classes.

With the bank’s expertise in digital asset solutions, DBS will tokenize, issue, distribute and manage the physical gold tokens entirely in-house – backed by trusted bank-grade infrastructure.

By applying blockchain technology to physical gold and making fractionalized ownership possible, DBS opined that investing in this asset class can be more cost-effective and accessible to a wider pool of investors.

The service combines the advantages of tokenization with the stored value of physical gold and will provide customers with several key benefits including convenience, speed, affordability and greater flexibility.

According to the statement, each token is backed by one gram (about S$200 [$155]) of physical gold held by DBS in a dedicated vault in Singapore, giving investors greater peace of mind that their assets are safely stored with a trusted banking platform.

The DBS Physical Gold Token offering further strengthens the bank’s existing suite of gold investment solutions, which range from funds to physical bullion, offering customers in Singapore a wider range of ways to invest based on their needs and risk appetite.

The rollout comes amid structural demand for the yellow metal, with gold prices reaching an all-time high of USD 5,600 per ounce earlier this year.

Despite recent price fluctuations, DBS said investors across the region continue to seek gold as a store of value and portfolio diversifier to hedge against inflation, geopolitical uncertainty and market volatility.

“Our ability to deliver DBS Physical Gold Token is built on DBS’ fully in-sourced, end-to-end institutional capability – physical vaulting, tokenization engine, digital custody and digitized distribution,

“Through the secure and compliant deployment, underpinned by robust risk management and governance, we are able to minimize operational friction and streamline physical gold access and management for our clients,” said Li Zhen, Head of Foreign Exchange, Precious Metals and Digital Assets, Global Financial Markets, DBS.

James Tan, Group Head, Investment Product and Advisory, DBS, said gold as an asset class has taken off in recent years, demonstrating its enduring value as a safe haven and a critical diversifier in uncertain times.

“While our retail investors have been able to buy gold funds, access to physical gold has been largely available to only institutional and accredited investors,

“DBS has offered physical gold investments to wealth clients since 2013, and we are now leveraging tokenization to broaden access, enabling more retail customers to invest in gold in a safe and meaningful way,” he added.

It is noted that this initiative is the latest in DBS’ efforts to leverage digital asset technology to transform the future of finance.

In 2025, DBS expanded its blockchain capabilities by tokenizing structured notes on the Ethereum public blockchain and offering it to eligible investors on third-party digital investment platforms and digital exchanges.

In addition, DBS listed sgBENJI, the token of Franklin Templeton’s tokenized money market fund, alongside the Ripple USD stable coin, enabling eligible DBS clients to rebalance their portfolios into a relatively stable asset 24/7 and within minutes, while earning yield during periods of volatility.

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