Having pioneered tokenized uranium ownership, developer teams in the Tezos ecosystem have turned their attention to driving access to precious and rare earth metals.
Metals.io, a new application for investing in and trading tokenized commodities, is live in the Tezos ecosystem. Developed by a team at Trilitech, a London-based Tezos R&D hub, the web app unlocks access to a selection of rare-earth metals, as well as base metals and minerals that are critical to the technology sector and the AI boom. Designed from the ground up as a single entry-point to a range of tokenized assets, metals.io launches with a dedicated and user-centric web app, which enables users to search for and add a range of tokenized commodities to their portfolios. Metals.io benefits from Tezos’ smart-rollup technology, which boasts sub-50ms latency, meaning that traders on the platform enjoy near-instant transaction confirmations, giving them the critical advantage they need in this dynamic market.
Metals.io is launching at a pivotal moment, as demand for critical minerals and precious metals has intensified recently, driven on one hand by industrial applications and on the other by investors seeking portfolio diversification options in the face of economic uncertainty. The U.S. government’s establishment of a U.S. critical mineral reserve has led to further attention on these assets, which are essential to modern manufacturing and used in everything from smartphones to wind turbines and fighter jets. Metals.io launches with a number of these tokenized assets already live, with more to be added in the coming months. From today, visitors to the site can access xU3O8 tokenized uranium; VNX Gold (VNXAU), digital proof of ownership of allocated gold which is physically held in a high-security vault in Liechtenstein; and the RARE token from Noemon Tech, which provides transparent exposure to a diversified basket of five strategic metals selected for their critical industrial and technological value.
“The current rapid pace of innovation in the AI sector and several other related fields is having a knock-on effect on demand for metals and materials that are critical to these endeavors. RARE enables users to gain digital ownership of a diversified basket of strategic metals – including elements such as hafnium, rhenium, indium, neodymium oxide, and praseodymium oxide – all of which are key to modern technologies and industrial applications. The team at Trilitech has developed an incredible gateway for accessing these assets, and Metals.io is a great showcase of how the future of RWA investing is taking place on Tezos,” said Dimitrios Kavvathas, Founder of Noemon Tech Ltd.
Metals.io uses the same underpinning technology as the uranium.io platform that launched on Etherlink, the EVM interface for Tezos, in December 2024. Uranium.io was purpose-built to minimise barriers to investing in uranium ore concentrate (U3O8), the asset that is used in nuclear reactors and could be key to powering the AI revolution. Since launching, uranium.io has played a pivotal role in bridging the multi-billion-dollar traditional commodity market with the speed and transparency of decentralized finance (DeFi), welcoming new investors who would not previously have had the opportunity to own and trade the commodity. The platform has received widespread industry recognition for these innovations, including winning the Best New Product award in the Innovation in Crypto & Web3 category at the latest Benzinga Global Fintech Awards. Now, metals.io is leveraging this successful model to facilitate access to other in-demand assets such as gold and other critical base metals.
“Throughout the 21st century, gold has consistently proven itself as one of the world’s premier assets, delivering stability and preserving wealth when traditional markets waver. VNX Gold (VNXAU) brings this enduring value into the modern era by offering digital tokens that represent verifiable proof of ownership of allocated gold, held in high-security vaults. By combining the strength of industry-leading custodians with the transparency and immutability of blockchain technology, we provide investors with all the security of physical gold, elevated with the efficiency, divisibility, and flexibility of a digital asset, allowing gold to become a fractional and programmable asset that can participate in modern on-chain financial services. Built on the robust and energy-efficient Tezos blockchain, VNX Gold (VNXAU) is making verifiable gold ownership accessible to a new generation of investors,” said Alexander Tkachenko, CEO and Founder, VNX.
Commenting on the launch of Metals.io, Arthur Breitman, co-founder of Tezos, said, “Commodity markets are global and indispensable, yet access to them remains fragmented and layered with intermediaries. As the AI revolution accelerates, energy and critical materials are becoming core economic constraints. Tokenization streamlines ownership and transfer of these assets at a global scale. Metals.io represents the maturation of that model, bringing essential commodities directly onto modern digital rails.”
Disclaimer: Prices of metals such as gold, uranium, and rare earth elements can be influenced by factors including changes in energy and industrial policies, trade restrictions, and geopolitical tensions in producing regions. For example, shifts in government policies affecting nuclear energy, manufacturing, or monetary stability can impact demand and, consequently, prices. Additionally, supply chain disruptions, often driven by political instability or export controls in resource-rich countries, can lead to price fluctuations. Finally, tokenized assets rely on smart contracts, which may carry risks such as bugs or exploits that could result in loss or errors in your holdings. Understanding the factors driving prices can help you to make more informed investing decisions.
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Approved by Archax LTD on 26/3/2026
About Tezos
Tezos is an open-source and energy-efficient blockchain designed to empower institutions, developers, and businesses, and facilitate value transfer in a digital environment. It is designed for the scalable deployment of decentralized applications. As one of the first Proof of Stake blockchains, Tezos is globally supported and valued for its strong governance, long-term upgradability, and smart contract capabilities. For more information about Tezos, visit http://www.tezos.com.
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