This past week, Web3 talked about gold, geopolitics, and market pressures.
“Over the last few days, gold has resumed its rally, as geopolitical concerns are weighing on the market once again. As such, it has taken the helm of this year’s best-performing asset from Bitcoin, and Goldman Sachs is now predicting it could reach the dizzying heights of $5,000 per ounce if President Trump’s feud with the Federal Reserve continues.
“The tokenization of gold is also adding fuel to the fire, with tokenized gold assets reaching fresh all-time highs. Tokenization brings gold into the digital asset ecosystem, providing a way for the growing cohort of crypto-native investors to add it to their portfolios without buying bullion or ETFs.
“If gold were to rally to $5,000 next year, this would mark a return of some 40% from its current price. Considering the last two years saw gold rise in price by 75%, this isn’t outside the realm of possibility. However, it isn’t the promise of outperformance that makes gold truly stand out as an asset class – it’s the added stability it brings when risk assets are seeing major drawdowns.
“And with tokenized gold now a growing asset class, this stability can prop up the digital asset market during downturns and provide an alternative to dollar-denominated stablecoins at a time when the US dollar is losing its dominance.
“But not only this, tokenized gold can act as a building block for yield-generation strategies in DeFi. So it’s no longer just a safe haven asset – it’s a gateway to financial stability and passive yield strategies, regardless of whether it soars another 40% in a year or remains stable at its current price level.”
– Kevin Rusher, founder of RWA borrowing and lending ecosystem RAAC
“Gold hitting an all-time high tells you investors are desperate for safety and yield in a world that feels unstable. But gold just sits there. Bitcoin is software. It is programmable collateral that can be wired into stablecoins, credit markets, and yield strategies at internet speed.
“That means while gold is the past tense of value storage, Bitcoin is the present tense of financial infrastructure. The future belongs to assets that not only store value but also generate it, and that is where Bitcoin will outshine gold.”
– Sid Sridhar, founder and CEO of BIMA Labs
“Gold has been stealing the spotlight lately, and it makes sense. Investors are chasing yield in a world where rates aren’t cutting as quickly as folks hoped, and gold still has that old-school aura of safety plus a balance sheet boost.
“But here’s the twist: gold itself isn’t stuck in the past anymore. With products like $XAUT, you’ve got gold tokenized and tradeable right alongside crypto. Bitcoin might feel stagnant, ETFs cooling off, sideways charts, but tokenized assets show the world isn’t just moving away from crypto, it’s blending gold’s legacy with Web3 rails.
“The Fear and Greed Index at 44 says sentiment’s neutral, and maybe that’s just the transition phase between Web2 finance and Web3 adoption.”
– Chris Anderson, CEO of ByteNova AI
“While gold has gained traction as a perceived safe haven, it would be premature to conclude that it is outshining Bitcoin in any structural sense. Gold’s yield appeal is limited, investors aren’t collecting income from the asset itself but rather from broader rate-driven dynamics.
“Bitcoin, meanwhile, continues to benefit from its integration into regulated markets through ETFs, which provide scalable and compliant access for both retail and institutions. We’re likely seeing a consolidation phase for Bitcoin, which often precedes renewed inflows once volatility compresses. In that context, Bitcoin’s scarcity and digital-native qualities may position it more favorably than gold when risk appetite returns.”
– Joe Z, co-founder of DeAgentAI
“What we’re seeing is a bifurcation in investor psychology. Gold is still the go-to hedge for banks and institutions managing balance sheet risk; it’s conservative, deeply liquid, and historically stable. Bitcoin, by contrast, is increasingly the choice of retail and forward-leaning investors who want asymmetric upside and are comfortable with volatility.
“So yes, gold may outshine Bitcoin in the short term as capital seeks yield and safety, but the longer arc points the other way. Bitcoin is still the harder asset of the two, and it represents a hedge against not just inflation, but the fiat system itself. The fact that both assets are being accumulated, just by different actors, tells you everything about how fractured the global monetary landscape has become.”
– Dylan Dewdney, co-founder and CEO of Kuvi.ai
“Bitcoin was designed as hard money, not as a yield-bearing instrument. In an era where even treasuries pay 5%, that leaves Bitcoin structurally disadvantaged. Gold is outperforming because it carries fewer perceived risks.
“The real unlock will be tokenized real-world assets with built-in yield—gold that pays you, equities that settle in seconds, real estate you can swap 24/7. That’s the thesis we’re executing at Lendr.fi.”
– Nathaji Metivier, CEO and CTO of Lendr.fi