The Motley Fool, a leading US investment publication, has chosen Tether Gold (XAUT) over Bitcoin as the "best cryptocurrency to buy for $100 right now." They believe that a gold-backed digital asset that can hedge against dollar fluctuations is a more reasonable choice than a speculative asset seeking high returns.
In a recent analysis article, The Motley Fool highlighted Tether Gold, a gold-backed stablecoin issued by Tether, as a potential small-cap investment option. It noted Tether's aggressive gold purchases since 2025, strengthening its physical collateral base.
According to reports, Tether purchased 26 tonnes of gold in the third quarter of 2025 alone, exceeding the total gold purchases by central banks worldwide during the same period. As of September 2025, Tether's total gold holdings stood at approximately 116 tonnes, valued at approximately $14 billion. Approximately 12 tonnes of this gold are held separately as collateral for XAUT.
XAUT is a digital asset structurally linked to physical gold. Each token is worth one troy ounce of gold, and the gold is stored in a Swiss vault. Its price closely tracks the international gold price, and holdings exceeding a certain amount can be exchanged for physical gold. However, small investors typically use it as a means of tracking gold prices rather than withdrawing physical assets.
These characteristics were evident in the 2025 market environment. Global gold prices rose approximately 67% in 2025, the strongest performance since the 1970s. Along with the gold price increase, XAUT also experienced a similar rate of increase. Unlike typical stablecoins pegged to the dollar, its gold-pegged asset contributed to the price increase.
Motley Fool also noted that XAUT is by no means a risk-free asset. They noted that cryptocurrencies inherently present regulatory gaps, and that Tether has previously faced controversy over reserve issues. They also noted that a temporary divergence from gold prices could occur if market liquidity deteriorates or regulatory changes occur. Nevertheless, they evaluated XAUT as a relatively stable option among cryptocurrencies due to its low volatility and its pegging to real-world assets.
What's noteworthy in this analysis is not the recommended assets themselves, but their direction. The fact that an investment media outlet targeting US individual investors is suggesting real-world asset tokens as a small-cap investment alternative, rather than high-risk altcoins or Bitcoin, demonstrates a shift in market trends. This signals a shift in perception of cryptocurrencies, moving from being seen as high-yield speculative assets to a means of wealth preservation and hedging.
Gold-backed stablecoins are considered the next step after dollar-based stablecoins. With real asset tokenization (RWA) emerging as a key topic in the global financial market, the XAUT case is seen as a symbolic example of how the combination of digital assets and traditional safe-haven assets has entered mainstream discourse.
