PAX Gold (PAXG) Cryptocurrency: Comprehensive Overview
Core Technology and Blockchain Architecture
PAX Gold (PAXG) is an ERC-20 token operating on the Ethereum blockchain. The PAXG protocol is created entirely on the Ethereum blockchain and is secured by the proof-of-work (PoW) model, though PAXG is not exclusively tied to Ethereum and can be launched on other blockchains as well.
This standard ensures compatibility with a vast ecosystem of cryptocurrency wallets, decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols, and exchanges. The smart contract architecture employs a proxy pattern (specifically an OpenZeppelin AdminUpgradeabilityProxy), with a proxy contract address that all users interact with and a separate logic contract that can be upgraded by Paxos.
Primary Use Cases and Real-World Applications
The main goal behind Pax Gold is to make gold more tradable, as the physical commodity is not easily divisible or flexible in terms of transport. Pax Gold was created to allow investors to buy indefinitely small amounts of gold through the cryptocurrency, thus virtually eliminating minimum buy limits for the commodity.
Key applications include:
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Investment and Hedging: Investors can use PAXG as a hedge against market volatility, inflation, or currency fluctuations, benefiting from gold's historical role as a safe-haven asset.
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DeFi Integration: PAXG can be integrated into various decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms, where it can be used as collateral, traded for other assets, or included in liquidity pools, increasing the utility and accessibility of gold in the digital financial ecosystem.
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Cross-Border Transfers: While international gold transfers can take days, PAXG transfers are processed in seconds, eliminating logistics, insurance, and storage costs.
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Fractional Ownership: PAXG allows fractional ownership as small as 0.01 oz (~$20), dramatically lowering the barrier to gold investing.
Founding Team, Key Developers, and Project History
Founded in 2012 by Charles Cascarilla and Rich Teo, Paxos is a startup specializing in the building of infrastructure for the exchange of cryptocurrency. Charles Cascarilla and Rich Teo founded Paxos in 2012 as the itBit bitcoin exchange. In 2015, the company changed its legal name from itBit to Paxos Trust Company.
Charles Cascarilla is the founder and chief executive officer of both Paxos Standard and Pax Gold. Cascarilla has an extensive career in capital management, which is what led him to explore the vast possibilities cryptocurrencies offer. After acquiring a degree in finance from the University of Notre Dame, he co-founded Cedar Hill Capital Partners in 2005. This was the start of his career in finance and capital management.
Pax Gold (PAXG) is a gold-backed cryptocurrency, launched by the creators of Paxos Standard (PAX) in September 2019. Paxos introduced PAX Gold, the first regulated gold-backed digital token, in September 2019.
Tokenomics: Supply, Distribution, and Mechanics
Supply Structure
PAX Gold (PAXG) operates on a tokenomics model that is directly tied to the physical gold it represents, with each token backed by one fine troy ounce of gold stored in professional vaults. The supply of PAXG is designed to be dynamic, with new tokens minted only when gold is deposited into the custody of the issuer, Paxos Trust Company, ensuring that the total supply of PAXG is always fully collateralized by physical gold.
Unlike with many cryptocurrencies, there is no maximum supply for the asset because Paxos Trust can issue as many tokens as demand requires. Pax Gold tokens have a one to one ratio with the gold storage backing it. This means that there is a PAXG coin for each ounce of gold in rotation covered by the Pax Gold protocol.
Minting and Burning Mechanism
PAXG's supply is dynamic and driven entirely by customer demand, governed by the mint (creation) and burn (destruction) mechanism managed by Paxos. Minting (Creation): Whenever a customer (individual or institutional) wants to increase their holdings, new tokens are created. When tokens are redeemed for gold, the corresponding PAXG tokens are burned, effectively reducing the circulating supply.
Distribution Model
PAXG does not have vesting schedules or unlocks to worry about. All tokens in supply were minted because someone paid full price. There's no founder allocation or developer fund in PAXG (Paxos's revenue comes from fees, not from holding a stash of PAXG to sell).
The token's initial distribution did not involve a traditional ICO or IEO; instead, it was made available through platforms and exchanges that partnered with Paxos, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards.
Current Market Metrics
Based on available data, PAXG maintains a market capitalization of approximately $2.27 billion with a circulating supply of approximately 425,000 tokens, each representing one fine troy ounce of physical gold.
Consensus Mechanism and Network Security Model
The PAXG protocol is created entirely on the Ethereum blockchain and is secured by the proof-of-work (PoW) model. Since PAXG operates as an ERC-20 token on Ethereum, it inherits Ethereum's security model rather than implementing its own consensus mechanism.
The company conducts monthly audits to ensure the PAXG token supply matches gold reserves, and monitors all transactions using analytical tools to prevent fraud and money laundering. Paxos monitors and surveils every PAXG transaction using third party analytical tools. This is done in an attempt to investigate potential instances of fraud and money laundering. Finally, there are also regular smart contract audits, where developers scrutinize code to identify bugs and vulnerabilities.
Key Partnerships and Ecosystem Integrations
Physical Redemption Partnerships
Paxos has entered into a partnership with Alpha Bullion, allowing PAXG holders to exchange the token for small sizes of gold. PAX Gold has established partnerships with London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) to ensure the backing of physical gold, enhancing its credibility and market influence.
Exchange and Trading Integrations
The most popular exchange to buy and trade PAX Gold is Binance, where the most active trading pair PAXG/USDT has a trading volume of $11,564,114.5. PAX Gold remains active and relevant, as evidenced by its consistent trading volume and presence on major exchanges like Binance and Coinbase.
DeFi Protocol Integration
Partnerships like Alpha Bullion for physical redemption and forthcoming collateral uses (Aave, MakerDAO) expand its utility and moat. Paxos investors can also participate in crypto-lending programs, allowing them to earn interest on their tokens. Genesis Lending, Celsius, SALT and Nexo are among the companies that offer PAXG-backed loans.
Institutional Partnerships
In 2022, Paxos made notable advances in expanding its business offerings to international customers. This included (1) partnering with Mercado Libre, Nubank, and Picpay to offer PAXG to customers in Latin America, and (2) receiving approval from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to offer crypto services in Singapore.
Competitive Advantages and Unique Value Proposition
Physical Redemption Capability
It is the only major gold token that allows holders to redeem their tokens for specific, London Bullion Market Association (LBMA)-accredited gold bars, bridging the digital and physical worlds uniquely. Holders can always redeem PAXG for USD at the current gold price, or if they accumulate enough (minimum 430 PAXG), redeem for a London Good Delivery gold bar.
Regulatory Framework
It is issued by Paxos Trust Company, a New York-regulated entity supervised by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). This provides a layer of institutional trust. Paxos adheres to strict compliance and regulatory practices — including monthly, quarterly, and annual audits to help ensure transparency of all asset amounts. The NYDFS also regulates individual Paxos products (including PAXG) to ensure greater protective measures and operational efficiency.
Cost Efficiency
Paxos offers PAXG at a lower cost structure than that of other gold tokens, gold ETFs and LBMA 400 t oz bars, with a low minimum purchase amount and zero storage fees. When a PAXG token transaction occurs on the Ethereum blockchain, a Paxos fee of 0.02% is charged to the user, as well as the standardized Ethereum fee that is typically a few cents per transaction. In contrast, transaction fees via traditional gold dealers can cost anywhere from 0.5% to 35% of the purchase amount. Paxos charges no storage or custody fees, and its minimal creation/destruction fees are tiered based on volume.
Transparency and Auditability
At any time, PAXG holders can lookup the serial number, value and physical characteristics of their vaulted gold just by entering their Ethereum wallet address on the PAXG lookup tool on Paxos.com/pax-gold. PAXG crypto's structure ensures that each token corresponds to a specific gold bar with a unique serial number. This configuration enhances transparency and auditability, distinguishing it from many other gold-linked instruments.
Current Development Activity and Roadmap Highlights
Recent Developments
In 2025, PAXG took the step of zeroing out transfer fees on the Ethereum network, reducing gas costs for large token transfers. Its access to exchanges has been expanded: It is scheduled to list on major platforms like OKX in October 2025, increasing liquidity.
In June 2025, Paxos launched Paxos Labs, a startup incubated within the company to help institutions integrate decentralized finance (DeFi) and on-chain products into their platforms.
Strategic Direction
As of the latest updates, PAX Gold does not have a publicly detailed roadmap with specific milestones or upcoming features. The project primarily focuses on providing a digital asset backed by physical gold, and its development efforts are generally centered around maintaining and enhancing this core functionality. However, PAX Gold continues to work on expanding its integration with various platforms and financial services to increase accessibility and utility for its users.
Ecosystem Goals: Expand integration with major DeFi protocols and traditional finance platforms · Long-term Vision: Become the standard for tokenized gold in the digital asset ecosystem.
Market Performance
In 2025, during a spike in gold demand from central banks as reported by the World Gold Council, PAXG saw increased adoption in DeFi, with over $500 million in total value locked, per DeFi Llama data. Key adoption metrics are trending up: >41k addresses hold PAXG (up ~4x since 2020), and combined tokenized gold market cap (PAXG + peers) topped $1.4B in 2025. PAXG dominates ~50% of this market, reflecting trust and first-mover advantage.
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