Tezos Ecosystem Doubles Down on Tokenized Commodities With Metals.io Launch

Trilitech, the London-based development firm building on Tezos, just launched Metals.io—a fresh platform for trading tokenized uranium, gold, and strategic metals critical to AI infrastructure. This move signals serious momentum in the crypto's pivot toward real-world assets (RWAs) and commodities tokenization.

Expanding the Commodities Bet on Tezos

The new platform builds directly on Trilitech's December 2024 success with Uranium.io, which launched on Etherlink, Tezos' EVM-compatible layer 2. Metals.io kicks off with three key offerings: xU3O8 (tokenized physical uranium), tokenized gold, and Noemon Tech's RARE token (a basket of strategic metals).

The thesis here is straightforward—uranium and rare earth metals are essential for AI infrastructure, nuclear energy, and rising electricity demand. By tokenizing these assets on-chain, Trilitech is democratizing access to markets that were previously locked behind massive institutional minimums.

Ben Elvidge, head of commercial applications at Trilitech, framed the strategy clearly: "One of the founding principles behind the launch of that platform was to level the playing field by making a previously inaccessible critical asset widely available to all investors." The numbers back this up: roughly 9,000 retail investors have already accumulated tokenized uranium since Uranium.io's launch.

Breaking Down Barriers to Entry

The adoption curve accelerated after key partnerships. Hex Trust integrated Etherlink in August 2025 to provide institutional-grade custody for tokenized uranium. More importantly, Transak's January integration let retail traders buy tokenized uranium with just $10—a staggering shift from the $4.2 million minimum over-the-counter limit.

This accessibility play isn't just marketing fluff. It's reshaping how retail and institutional traders access commodities markets through crypto infrastructure.

Tokenized Commodities Hitting Real Scale

The broader tokenized commodities market is firing on all cylinders. Total market cap surged to $7.7 billion on March 6 before settling at $7 billion as of Monday, per RWA.xyz data. Tokenized gold dominates the space—Tether Gold (XAUT) holds 38% market share at $2.5 billion, while Paxos Gold (PAXG) commands 34% at $2.2 billion.

CryptoQuant's research head Julio Moreno pins this surge to tariff uncertainty, elevated interest rates, and classic safe-haven demand. His take: "crypto exchanges are becoming global venues for TradFi derivatives." Translation—institutional capital is finally taking crypto market infrastructure seriously for assets beyond just crypto itself.