The infrastructure bridge: Legal title and institutional trust

MKS PAMP is a family-owned global powerhouse that operates one of the world’s most renowned refineries.

By launching the DGLD token on the Base network, Coinbase’s Layer 2 blockchain, in mid-December 2025, GTSA effectively bridged the gap between 60 years of Swiss precious metals heritage and US-centric blockchain technology.

Unlike speculative crypto tokens, “DGLD is designed to represent allocated physical gold rather than a claim on an issuer,” prioritizing the institutionalization of real-world assets through transparent governance, Hemecker said.

”That design approach is important in jurisdictions like the US, where regulators are still clarifying the boundaries between securities and other digital assets,” he added. Physical gold’s familiarity reduces ambiguity, giving institutions clear legal title to specific vaulted bars, not issuer promises or derivatives.

According to Hemecker, this structure earns policymaker support as “controlled tokenization, where digital representations of existing assets are well-governed and clearly backed, rather than creating new, untested monetary substitutes.” Investors gain direct property rights over high-security Swiss vaults, outpacing tech-first rivals.

Transparency serves as a competitive advantage in this new era of digital commodities. Gold investors, who are traditionally obsessed with provenance, can utilize GTSA’s Bar Mapper tool. This technology allows a digital holder to trace their token back to specific gold bars certified by the London Bullion Market Association

Users can view non-sensitive metadata, including the refiner, weight, purity and serial number of the bars, providing a level of auditability that was previously impossible in the gold market. This creates a transparent link between digital ownership and physical existence, ensuring that every token is backed by real, verifiable gold.

Overcoming hurdles

The operational hurdles once plaguing tokenization are rapidly fading. “Several early frictions are already easing,” Hemecker said. “Operational and technical uncertainty is declining as standards around custody, issuance and lifecycle management mature. Institutional access is improving, and credibility gaps are narrowing.

This maturity drives a shift from experimental pilots to institutional balance-sheet allocations.

“What we’re seeing from institutions and central banks is not a move away from traditional safe-haven assets, but a desire to modernize the infrastructure around them,” he explained. Blockchain’s 24/7 availability, near-instant settlement and efficient reporting keep gold exposure while accelerating infrastructure.

“Tokenized gold allows institutions to maintain exposure to a familiar reserve asset, while benefiting from faster settlement … This is about putting trusted assets on modern rails.”

Liquidity follows suit. “Liquidity will increasingly be judged by depth and reliability, not headline volumes,” Hemecker noted. “Custody quality will move to the foreground, with institutions favoring allocated, insured gold held with reputable vaulting partners.” DGLD delivers this via Base and Aerodrome DEX’s nonstop trading.

Finally, redemption seals the trust: “Redemption down to 1 gram expands accessibility and utility for collateral, lending, repos and beyond. Redemption builds trust, but tokenization is where the real utility comes from.”

The regulatory landscape

The regulatory landscape continues to play a pivotal role in the adoption of tokenized gold.

While GTSA is a Swiss-regulated entity supervised by FINMA-level standards, its presence on the Base network demonstrates a strategic navigation of global demand.

“Regulatory trends are likely to support tokenized gold adoption by rewarding transparent, well-governed structures that fit within existing financial and commodity frameworks,” Hemecker said. “Products with clear custody, governance and legal ownership are simply easier for institutions to assess and approve.”

The GENIUS Act, passed in the US in 2025, clarifies stablecoin rules, prioritizing 1:1 reserves and audits, which favor insured custody like MKS PAMP’s. The proposed CLARITY Act would split Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) purview, classifying some assets as “digital commodities.”

This past January, the SEC and CFTC held a joint harmonization event to align on digital asset oversight, while the CLARITY Act awaits Senate action after House passage in 2025.

Looking ahead

Looking ahead, Hemecker believes the trend favors “consolidation rather than proliferation.’

Tokenization can improve traceability and data continuity, aiding secondary markets like recycled gold. It connects the value chain from mine to vault to wallet, but needs “standards, audits, operational integration and regulatory alignment” for real transparency, according to Hemecker.

For mining and finance, DGLD modernizes the Swiss gold standard.

“Our focus … is building the foundations … so (it’s) ready to scale responsibly,’ said Hemecker.

Valeura Energy (TSX:VLE,OTCQX:VLERF) is an oil and gas company focused on the development and operation of shallow-water offshore assets in the Gulf of Thailand. The company, listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and headquartered in Singapore, is strategically positioned within the Asia-Pacific region. Valeura operates four producing oil fields—Nong Yao, Jasmine, Wassana, and Manora—and has established itself as a low-cost, dependable operator in a mature basin supported by extensive existing infrastructure.

Valeura focuses on maximizing free cash flow from existing production while extending asset life through ongoing drilling, upgrades, and near-field exploration. This is supported by a disciplined acquisition strategy, positioning the Company as a potential regional consolidator, backed by an experienced management team with a strong track record in operations, transactions, and safety.

Valeura’s primary focus is its operated portfolio of shallow-water offshore oil fields in the Gulf of Thailand, which form the foundation of its cash flow, reserves growth and near-term value creation. The company currently operates four producing fields – Nong Yao, Jasmine, Wassana and Manora – all located in a mature basin with extensive infrastructure and a long history of reserve replacement through continued development.

Company Highlights

• Second-largest oil producer in Thailand, operating four shallow-water offshore fields in the Gulf of Thailand
• Strong financial position, with US$306 million in cash and no debt as of December 31, 2025
• Growing reserves and extended field lives, with 57.6 mmbbl of 2P reserves and a multi-year history of approximately 200 percent reserves replacement per year
• Highly cash-generative business, generating US$158 million in free cash flow over the last twelve months to September 30, 2025
• Growth-oriented strategy, combining disciplined organic investment with accretive M&A opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region

This Valeura Energy profile is part of a paid investor education campaign.*

Click here to connect with Valeura Energy (TSX:VLE) to receive an Investor Presentation

Bitcoin and Ether price update

Bitcoin (BTC) was priced at US$73,420.53, down by 3.9 percent over 24 hours.

Bitcoin price performance, February 4, 2026.

Chart via TradingView.

Expectations of tighter monetary policy and unresolved regulatory tensions are also weighing on investors.

Meanwhile, XS.com’s Samer Hasn is observing positive sentiment marked by long-term investors and new Bitcoin addresses accumulating at current low prices, despite speculative money leaving. He views the downtrend as a buying opportunity while the broader market anticipates crucial economic data and earnings from Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL).

Ether (ETH) was priced at US$2,164.80, down by 5.7 percent over the last 24 hours.

Altcoin price update

• XRP (XRP) was priced at US$1.54, down by 4.7 over 24 hours.

• Solana (SOL) was trading at US$93.04, down by 7.7 percent over 24 hours.

Today’s crypto news to know

Bitcoin-led selloff wipes nearly US$500 billion from crypto market

A sharp crypto selloff has erased nearly half a trillion dollars in market value in less than a week, with Bitcoin leading the decline, according to a Bloomberg report.

The total market cap for crypto has fallen by about US$467.6 billion since January 29.

Meanwhile, Bitcoin slid to its lowest level since US President Donald Trump’s re-election in early November 2024, briefly touching US$72,877 in US trading before clawing back to around US$75,900.

The pullback comes despite a more crypto-friendly White House and growing institutional adoption, reflecting how fragile sentiment remains after months of heavy leverage.

More than US$700 million in bullish and bearish bets were liquidated in the past 24 hours alone, taking total liquidations since January 29 to over US$6.6 billion, according to CoinGlass data.

Burry warns Bitcoin slide could trigger cascading financial stress

In a Substack post published on Monday (February 2), Michael Burry speculated that Bitcoin’s recent sharp decline could be something beyond a normal bear market, framing it as a uniquely dangerous setup that could trigger cascading financial turmoil across leveraged portfolios, as well as the entire crypto market and metals.

As Bitcoin is deeply embedded into leveraged structures, further price drops could force more selling. He outlined several ‘sickening scenarios,’ including 15 to 20 percent hits for large institutional holders like Strategy (NASDAQ:MSTR), a company he predicts could see major losses if Bitcoin were to fall to US$60,000.

If the cryptocurrency were to dip toward US$50,000, Burry said miners could dump reserves to avoid bankruptcy, dragging minerals and tokenized metal futures into a collapse. Burry sees Bitcoin as a purely speculative asset that has failed to act as a reliable debasement hedge like gold, so its drawdown exposes broader balance sheet fragility driven not just by price moves, but also by over‑levered positions, aggressive artificial intelligence and cloud CAPEX accounting and weak capital discipline that will only become apparent when liquidity tightens.

Strategy’s Bitcoin bet goes underwater

Michael Saylor doubled down on his Bitcoin conviction this week even as Strategy’s vast holdings slipped below their average purchase price. Bitcoin’s drop under roughly US$76,000 has pushed the firm’s estimated cost basis into negative territory, leaving it about US$630 million underwater on paper, according to market estimates cited by critics.

The company has accumulated more than 712,000 BTC since 2020 using a mix of share issuance and convertible debt, a strategy that paid off during the bull market, but now faces renewed scrutiny.

Bitcoin critics, including Peter Schiff, argue that Strategy’s aggressive buying helped fuel the earlier rally and that slowing purchases are now exacerbating the decline. Saylor has rejected that view, posting on X that volatility is “Satoshi’s gift to the faithful” and reiterating his rule to “Buy Bitcoin.”

TRM Labs hits US$1 billion valuation

Blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs has reached a US$1 billion valuation after closing a US$70 million Series C funding round that was led by Blockchain Capital and included backing from Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS), Bessemer Venture Partners, Brevan Howard, Thoma Bravo and Citi Ventures.

Co-founder Esteban Castaño said the company was built around the belief that widespread crypto adoption would inevitably require sophisticated risk and compliance tools.

TRM gained traction with law enforcement agencies and financial institutions by tracking activity across multiple blockchains, an early strategic choice that helped it compete with more established rivals.

Bessent reasserts government Bitcoin stance

During testimony before the House Financial Services Committee during a mandatory oversight hearing on the annual report of the Financial Stability Oversight Council, US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent reasserted his stance that Bitcoin is an asset of the US government, not a liability, and that the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve built from forfeited coins is a legitimate balance sheet asset that the treasury is treating as part of the nation’s financial toolkit.

Bessent noted that roughly US$500 million in seized Bitcoin retained by the government has appreciated to over US$15 billion while in custody, underscoring Bitcoin’s role as a high‑growth strategic asset on the federal balance sheet.

He reiterated that the US is not planning to buy more Bitcoin on the open market, but will continue to accumulate it in budget‑neutral ways to build the reserve, such as through forfeitures and seizures.