As a potential trade war between China and the United States looms and confusion surrounding Brexit mounts, the strength of traditional fiat currencies such as the Euro and Pound Sterling are being called into question.

It seems likely that the political and economic uncertainty of 2019 has resulted in renewed investor interest in gold as a safe haven from the volatility of international markets, as the price of this “recession-proof” asset trends consistently upward.

Once the exclusive domain of the wealthy, interest in gold as a time-tested investment vehicle is growing. With the rise of tokenization and blockchain technology, it is no longer necessary to invest in gold in bulk -- and pay the steep premium which comes with doing so.

Digix, the tokenization company behind the world’s first gold-backed digital asset class, is just one example of how new technology is opening the gold market to the masses. Digix recently announced the extension of its gold redemption services to Canada, in addition to its two existing vaults in Singapore.

Building upon its partnership with SilverGoldBull (SGB), North America’s largest precious metals retailer, Digix now stores 15kg of gold bullion, offering greater diversification of bullion type and international convenience to its users.

The fulfillment of this partnership between Digix and SGB represents an important step for the intersection between the gold market and blockchain technology, as industry actors seek new opportunities to introduce added liquidity and accessibility.

I invited Kai. C Chnge, Co-Founder of Digix on to my daily tech podcast. We talk about the impact that the intersection between the gold and cryptocurrency markets may have on the reality of millions of investors and would-be investors worldwide.

We also discuss:

• The renewed interest in gold over traditionally less
  stable investment vehicles, including fiat currencies - which are often affected by geopolitical and trade affairs;
• The potential for 2019 to see further interest, adoption,and relationship building between traditional bullion market players and the blockchain industry.
• The impact will the incorporation of tokenized assets have on the precious metals sector.