Nasdaq Welcomes First Tether Gold Backed Corporate Treasury
Prestige Wealth rebranded to Aurelion Treasury and launched the first Tether Gold-backed corporate treasury on Nasdaq. According to Cointelegraph, the company closed a $100 million Private Investment in Public Equity financing round from Antalpha Platform Holding Company and other accredited investors on Friday. Tether participated as an investor through its entity TG Commodities. The company also secured a $50 million senior debt facility from Antalpha Management. Total funding reached $150 million according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings.
Most proceeds will acquire Tether Gold tokens as the primary reserve asset. Aurelion CEO Björn Schmidtke described XAUT as the "real digital gold" for corporate treasury purposes. The company aims to make XAUT tokens redeemable for physical gold over time. Currently, Tether Gold requires holders to own at least 430 tokens to redeem one full gold bar. Prestige Wealth stock rose 19 percent on Friday following the announcement. The company expects to debut its new ticker symbol AURE on Nasdaq pending regulatory approvals.
Corporate Balance Sheets Embrace Alternative Reserve Assets
This launch represents a growing corporate strategy to diversify treasury holdings beyond traditional cash and bonds. Companies are exploring alternative reserve assets to protect against inflation and currency devaluation concerns. Aurelion's choice of gold-backed tokens rather than Bitcoin or Ethereum shows corporate interest in stable, tangible asset backing. Paul Liang, chief financial officer of Antalpha, stated digital assets become more tangible when redeemable for physical commodities. The company's approach bridges tokenized assets with real-world gold stores.
The timing aligns with broader institutional interest in digital asset treasuries throughout 2025. We previously reported that 15 US states are moving forward with plans for Bitcoin reserves, with Pennsylvania, Arizona, and New Hampshire proposing allocations up to 10 percent of public funds. This government interest in digital reserve assets validates the corporate treasury strategy Aurelion is pursuing. However, critics note Prestige Wealth stock remains down over 94 percent since its launch. Investors must evaluate whether gold-backed tokens provide sufficient stability for corporate balance sheets.
Gold Tokens Challenge Dominant Bitcoin Treasury Model
Aurelion's strategy departs from the Bitcoin-focused approach that dominates corporate digital asset treasuries. Most companies building digital treasuries have chosen Bitcoin as their primary reserve asset. Corporate Bitcoin holdings exceeded $130 billion globally as of October 2025, according to market data. Strategy, formerly MicroStrategy, leads corporate Bitcoin adoption with over 628,000 BTC in treasury holdings. The company's aggressive accumulation strategy has influenced dozens of other firms to follow.
Gold-backed digital assets offer different characteristics compared to Bitcoin's purely digital nature. Central banks globally have increased gold holdings while reducing US Treasury positions, according to recent financial sector analysis. Gold reached new all-time highs in 2025 amid economic uncertainty and inflation concerns. Aurelion's model may appeal to more conservative institutional investors who prefer tangible asset backing. The approach could attract traditional financial institutions hesitant to adopt purely digital cryptocurrencies.
However, tokenized gold faces adoption challenges including redemption minimums and custody complexity. The requirement for 430 tokens to redeem physical gold creates high entry barriers for most investors. Questions remain about whether corporations will embrace this hybrid model or continue favoring Bitcoin's established liquidity. Traditional financial institutions are watching closely as both models compete for corporate treasury allocations. The success of Aurelion's strategy will influence whether other Nasdaq companies pursue similar gold-backed token reserves.
