Tether’s gold-backed token XAUt has received Shariah certification from Amanah Advisors, a move that could expand access to the token among Islamic financial institutions and investors seeking Shariah-compliant exposure to physical gold.

The certification found XAUt’s structure complies with key Islamic finance principles, including full backing by physical gold, the absence of interest and leverage, and transparent reserves. Each XAUt token represents one troy ounce of physical gold stored in Swiss vaults, according to Tether.

The designation gives Tether a clearer pathway to market XAUt to Islamic financial institutions and investors that require Shariah-compliant investment products. Tether said it expects the certification to support adoption across markets where Islamic finance is widely used, including the Gulf Cooperation Council, South Asia and parts of Africa.

XAUt is one of the largest tokenized gold products in the crypto market. Tether’s latest reserves report showed the token was backed by more than 707,000 troy ounces of physical gold worth over $3.3 billion as of March 31.

According to RWA.xyz data, the token’s onchain asset value has climbed from about $700 million in July 2025 to roughly $2.5 billion.

Tether tokenized gold. Source: RWA.xyz

Related: Kraken moves closer to UAE launch after Dubai regulatory approval

Shariah-compliant crypto products gain traction

Cryptocurrencies have long divided Islamic scholars, with debates centering on whether digital assets comply with Shariah principles that prohibit excessive uncertainty, speculation and interest. As companies seek to address those concerns, Shariah-compliant digital assets have begun to emerge.

One early example came in 2025, when Bahrain-based AlAbraaj Restaurants Group adopted a Bitcoin (BTC) treasury strategy and said it planned to develop Shariah-compliant financial instruments to broaden access to Bitcoin across the Islamic world.

More recently, in April, Palm Azgar Finance expanded its Shariah-compliant PUSD stablecoin to ADI Chain, targeting the more than $3 trillion Islamic finance market. PUSD became the second stablecoin available on the network, allowing institutions to settle transactions using either a dollar-linked asset or a dirham-denominated token on the same infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Dubai has emerged as a leading crypto hub in the Middle East, continuing to expand its regulated digital asset market. Earlier this month, the emirate’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) issued its 50th virtual asset service provider license, surpassing the number of licensed crypto firms in Hong Kong and Singapore.

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Tether Gold has received Shariah certification, giving Islamic banks, institutions, and investors a compliant way to access physical gold through blockchain technology. Amanah Advisors, led by Mufti Faraz Adam, reviewed the product and approved its structure under Islamic finance rules.

The certification covers real asset ownership, clear gold backing, reserve transparency, and the absence of interest-based features. Each XAU₮ token represents ownership of physical gold stored in secure Swiss vaults and issued by TG Commodities, S.A. de C.V.

Tether Gold Shariah Certification Supports Wider Access

Tether Gold does not rely on riba, leverage, or speculative derivatives, according to the company. This structure allows users to hold tokenized gold while keeping direct exposure to allocated bullion.

The approval may support adoption among Islamic banks, takaful providers, halal savings platforms, and trade finance firms. These institutions often prefer assets backed by real value and clear ownership terms.

Islamic Finance Markets Gain Digital Gold Option

Tether Gold may help Islamic finance firms offer digital gold products without changing the asset’s physical backing. Banks could use the token for savings products, treasury holdings, wealth preservation, or approved collateral services.

The certification may also expand access in GCC countries, South Asia, Africa, and other Islamic finance hubs. These regions have strong demand for gold and growing interest in regulated digital assets.

Gold-Backed Loans Expand XAU₮ Use

Tether Gold holders can also use XAU₮ as collateral through Tether’s partnership with Ledn. The service allows eligible users to access loans while retaining exposure to physical gold.

The lending product keeps bullion backing at the center of the structure. However, users must still review loan terms, fees, and local rules before using the service.

Tether Links Gold With Blockchain Strategy

Tether Gold forms part of Tether’s wider plan to connect traditional assets with blockchain networks. The company also supports Bitcoin-based transfer systems through the RGB protocol and Lightning Network tools.

For XAU₮, Tether Gold remains focused on direct gold ownership, verifiable reserves, and digital transfer access. Each token links to allocated gold bars held in Swiss storage facilities. Investors can also transfer fractional ownership without arranging direct transport or private vault storage.

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said gold has long represented trust and stability across many cultures. He said Shariah approval allows Tether Gold to serve more users while respecting Islamic finance standards.

Securitize Capital, a subsidiary of tokenized asset platform Securitize, has registered with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as an investment adviser, allowing the company to expand its regulated investment advisory business for institutional clients, Securitize said Monday.

The registration adds investment advisory capabilities to Securitize’s existing regulated businesses, which include an SEC-registered broker-dealer, alternative trading system, transfer agent and fund administration services.

CEO Carlos Domingo said the registration strengthens Securitize’s ability to help institutions develop and manage investment strategies for onchain capital markets. Securitize Capital previously operated as an exempt reporting adviser and is now subject to additional disclosure, compliance, recordkeeping and examination requirements under the Investment Advisers Act.

Securitize is the largest tokenization platform by onchain asset value, with around $4.8 billion in tokenized assets across funds from BlackRock, Apollo, KKR, VanEck, Hamilton Lane and other asset managers.

The company began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker SECZ on July 2 after completing a merger with Cantor Equity Partners II. Shares have since fallen about 46% from their first-day closing price.

Top RWA tokenization platforms. Source: RWA.xyz

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Senate Republicans are seeking Democratic support for the Clarity Act as lawmakers consider starting a floor process before the August recess.

Clarity Act faces a 60-vote Senate test

Crypto industry groups hope Thune will begin the floor process by filing cloture on a motion to proceed, according to a Crypto in America report.

A cloture filing would typically set up a vote two Senate session days later. At least 60 senators would need to support the motion before the chamber could begin debating whether to take up the bill.

If the Senate invokes cloture, lawmakers could spend as many as 30 hours debating the motion before voting on whether to proceed to the legislation itself. That process would not guarantee the Clarity Act’s passage but would move the bill closer to a full floor debate.

Republicans hold 53 Senate seats, leaving them dependent on Democratic votes even if nearly every GOP senator supports the measure. Senator Mitch McConnell is also expected to remain absent, while Republican Senators Josh Hawley and Rand Paul have not confirmed their positions.

Both senators voted against the GENIUS Act in 2025, adding uncertainty to the Republican vote count.

Democratic concerns threaten the floor push

Seven Democratic senators said the updated Clarity Act text released last week “fell short” of their expectations. Their concerns include political ethics, consumer protection, illicit finance, market integrity and the regulation of decentralized finance.

Senator Thom Tillis has been leading bipartisan negotiations over stronger ethics rules. The North Carolina Republican has called for provisions that go beyond the proposal agreed to by the White House and other GOP lawmakers.

The White House-backed language would restrict senior elected officials from issuing or sponsoring certain digital assets. However, some Democrats have questioned whether relying on the Department of Justice to enforce the restrictions would provide sufficient oversight.

Senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Mark Warner have also tied their potential support to stronger safeguards against crypto-related financial crime.

Without an agreement, Republicans are unlikely to secure the 60 votes required to move forward. The narrow GOP margin also means that any Republican defections would increase the number of Democratic votes needed.

Police endorsement removes one DeFi obstacle

The National Fraternal Order of Police endorsed the revised Clarity Act on Friday after lawmakers addressed its concerns about the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act.

The BRCA provisions would protect certain non-custodial software developers from having to register as money transmitters. Law enforcement groups had previously warned that broad protections could make it harder to prosecute crimes involving digital assets.

The police union now believes the revised language preserves investigators’ authority while providing legal protection for developers who do not control customer assets. Its endorsement could help ease concerns among Democrats focused on illicit finance and enforcement.

However, the support does not resolve broader disagreements over when a DeFi service should qualify as decentralized and when people controlling a protocol should face financial regulations.

SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce separately warned that moving a financial product onchain does not automatically place it outside federal securities law. She said actively managed crypto vaults could resemble investment funds when third parties decide how users’ assets are allocated.

“When you have a third party involved in deciding how different assets are being allocated and invested, that’s really a situation where you have to start asking: Do the securities laws apply?”

August recess leaves little time for a deal

Senators are scheduled to leave Washington on August 7, giving negotiators a limited window to settle the remaining disputes and start the floor process.

Thune said last week that he did not expect the Clarity Act to pass before the break. However, Senate leaders have reportedly discussed keeping lawmakers in Washington during the first few days of the recess if enough votes can be secured.

The bill would establish a federal market structure for digital assets and clarify the roles of the Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Failure to reach a bipartisan agreement before the recess could push further action into a more difficult election-year calendar.

The company added nearly 10,000 ETH over the past week, bringing its holdings to 5.79 million Ether, about 85% of which is staked through its validator operations.

Bitmine Immersion Technologies said Monday it holds 5.79 million Ether, or about 4.8% of the cryptocurrency’s total supply, after purchasing nearly 10,000 ETH over the past week.

Bitmine disclosed that about 4.9 million ETH (ETH), or roughly 85% of its holdings, are staked through its validator operations. The company projected annualized staking rewards of about $299 million once all of its Ether is deployed across its staking infrastructure and partner validators. The company’s crypto holdings, cash and marketable securities total $11.8 billion as of July 26.

The latest purchases come as Ether has outperformed Bitcoin (BTC) over the past week. ETH has gained about 2.4% over the past seven days while Bitcoin has fallen roughly 0.7%, according to CoinGecko data. In Monday’s announcement, Bitmine Chairman Tom Lee said the rising ETH/BTC ratio, which he described as being at a three-month high, signaled strengthening momentum for Ether.

Bitcoin and ETH performance over the past seven days. Source: CoinGecko

Bitmine has built the world’s largest corporate Ether treasury, trailing only Strategy among public companies by the value of its digital asset holdings. However, Bitmine’s accumulation strategy has recently diverged from Strategy’s, which has paused Bitcoin purchases in recent weeks.

On Monday, Strategy announced it had raised $544.5 million through stock sales, repurchased $25 million of its STRC preferred shares and increased its US dollar reserve to $3.75 billion, while maintaining holdings of 843,775 BTC.

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Kruger said bitcoin needs to clear $67,300 to break out of the multi-week consolidation that has capped prices since June. A move above that level could signal the next leg of higher, while ether (ETH) faces a similar test at $2,000.

Tom Lee, chairman of Bitmine and co-founder of Fundstrat, also noted ether’s recent outperformance relative to BTC as a bullish signal for crypto markets. The ETH-BTC ratio, which measures the price of ether in bitcoin, climbed to a three-month high on Monday.

Rally lacks demand amid macro risks

Still, not everyone is convinced about bitcoin’s strength.

Nansen senior research analyst Nicolai Sondergaard said the recent rebound lacks the buying conviction typically seen before sustained rallies.

“The market is holding range without strong buyers, not building toward a breakout,” Sondergaard said.

His base case remains a pullback toward $52,000-$58,000 unless market conditions improve.

While nearly 9,000 BTC left exchanges over the past week, open interest in bitcoin futures has fallen even as prices edged higher, suggesting traders are reducing exposure rather than adding fresh bullish bets. Order-book data also continues to point to net selling pressure, he said.

Sondergaard said the Fed’s rate decision and communication about it will likely set the tone for risk assets on Wednesday. Investors will also be watching Thursday’s core PCE inflation report, second-quarter GDP data and earnings from Microsoft, Meta, Apple and Amazon before Friday’s roughly $13-14 billion bitcoin and ether options expiry.