Korea Gold Exchange Digital Asset (KorDA) today announced integration of LayerZero for $KGLD, one of Asia’s first tokenized gold assets backed by physical reserves.
Issued by KorDA and powered by LayerZero’s interoperability infrastructure, $KGLD introduces a new model for real-world assets (RWAs), enabling gold to move seamlessly across blockchains as a unified asset without liquidity fragmentation.
KorDA is backed by ITCEN Global, the largest gold distributor and one of the most influential players in Korea’s gold market, with deep expertise in physical gold supply, distribution, and market infrastructure.
This foundation brings institutional-grade credibility to the issuance of $KGLD as a physically backed, on-chain asset.
Gold has long served as one of the most important reserve assets in global financial markets. As tokenization accelerates, bringing gold on-chain represents a major step in connecting traditional financial assets with programmable, global liquidity.
LayerZero provides the interoperability infrastructure that enables $KGLD to operate seamlessly across multiple blockchain networks, supporting the next phase of RWA adoption in Asia.
From Physical Gold to Programmable Financial Infrastructure
$KGLD is built using LayerZero’s Omnichain Fungible Token (OFT) standard, allowing it to exist natively across multiple blockchains without wrapping or liquidity fragmentation.
When $KGLD moves between chains, tokens are burned on the source chain and minted 1:1 on the destination.
For issuers like KorDA, this enables direct control over compliance, verification, and transfer rules across all environments. For users and institutions, it creates a consistent asset experience across chains without introducing additional counterparty or bridging risks.
Beyond digitizing gold, KGLD transforms it into programmable financial infrastructure. It can integrate into decentralized finance, payments, and institutional financial products while operating across multiple blockchain ecosystems.
This unlocks global liquidity, enables real-time settlement, and supports programmable use cases for payments and collateral. As a result, gold evolves from a passive store of value into an actively utilized financial primitive.
Expanding RWA Adoption in Asia and Beyond
With gold representing a 13 trillion dollar global market and Asia driving over 50 percent of demand, the opportunity to bring commodities on-chain is both significant and inevitable.
While early RWA adoption has focused on stablecoins and treasuries, KGLD represents one of the first major steps in bringing globally recognized commodities such as gold on-chain in Asia.
By enabling gold to move across blockchains and integrate into digital financial applications, KorDA is pioneering a new model for tokenized commodities, while LayerZero provides the infrastructure that enables it to scale across ecosystems.
“We are excited to collaborate with Korea Gold Exchange Digital Asset, a leading force in Korea’s gold market, to establish one of Asia’s flagship examples of tokenized gold,” said Alex Lim, Head of APAC at LayerZero. “Beyond gold, we see this as the beginning of a broader transformation, bringing equities, bonds, real estate, commodities, and private assets on-chain, and building the next generation of financial infrastructure centered in Asia.”
“LayerZero’s seamless multichain infrastructure played a critical role in designing a new model for on-chain gold,” said Sangyoon Lee, CEO of Korea Gold Exchange Digital Asset. “With KGLD, we aim to expand gold into a broader range of financial applications and establish it as a leading real-world asset in Asia’s digital economy.”
About LayerZero
LayerZero is where finance and the internet converge. It makes any token or application compatible with every type of blockchain. From protocols to institutions, organizations use LayerZero to build, issue, and scale digital assets and products. It connects 170+ blockchains, processes millions of messages a year, and powers billions in value transfer. Trusted by PayPal USD, Ethena, the State of Wyoming, BitGo, and more, LayerZero has become the standard for building on blockchains.
About Korea Gold Exchange Digital Asset (KorDA)
Korea Gold Exchange Digital Asset (KorDA) is a Web3 fintech company providing innovative financial services based on real-world assets such as gold and silver. Backed by the digital innovation capabilities of the ITCEN Group and the gold distribution expertise of Korea Gold Exchange, KorDA is focused on bringing institutional-grade RWA products on-chain and expanding their accessibility across global markets.