(Kitco News) – Blockchain finance platform Chainlink and the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) announced a new partnership on Monday that will see FX and precious metals rates from ICE Consolidated Feed serve as a contributor to the derived data set that Chainlink Data Streams provides to over 2,000 applications, banks, asset managers, and infrastructure in the Chainlink ecosystem.
“ICE's market-leading data feed, covering a broad array of currencies and important precious metals, brings a new level of reliability to onchain markets and supports innovation of new types of tokenized assets and products,” the companies wrote in a joint announcement, adding that this represents “a significant milestone on the pathway towards the mainstream adoption of onchain finance.”
“With content from over 300 global exchanges and marketplaces, the ICE Consolidated Feed offers trusted, structured multi-asset class data to banks, asset managers and ISVs located around the world,” said Maurisa Baumann, VP, Global Data Delivery Platforms at ICE. “We're happy to work with Chainlink to securely and reliably provide data for onchain markets, which is an important step in growing the global blockchain economy."
Demand for tokenized real-world assets is expected to reach $30.1 trillion by 2034, according to a research paper from Standard Chartered.
“Using ICE's Consolidated Feed data as an input into Chainlink's derived FX and precious metals rates onchain via Chainlink's institutional-grade infrastructure is a watershed moment in the evolution of global markets,” said Fernando Vazquez, President, Capital Markets at Chainlink Labs. “This collaboration signals a pivotal shift towards a unified, globally accessible onchain financial system, with hundreds of trillions in assets on a clear path to tokenization.”
ICE is a Fortune 500 company that provides financial technology and data services across major asset classes, including futures, equity, and options exchanges, among them the New York Stock Exchange, while Chainlink has been widely adopted by major financial market infrastructures, institutions, and DeFi protocols including Swift, Euroclear, Mastercard, Fidelity International, UBS, ANZ, Aave, GMX, and Lido.
On July 3, HSBC announced that affluent investors—those with at least $100,000 in assets—are showing increased interest in the precious metal, with tokenized gold attracting strong interest from younger investors.
According to HSBC’s annual Affluent Investor Snapshot, affluent investors have doubled their exposure to alternative assets, including gold. At the same time, investors have reduced their cash allocations by nearly 40%, particularly in Hong Kong, Mexico, the UK, and the US.
The data show that affluent investors increased their gold exposure to 11% – more than doubling the previous year’s 5% share – while cryptocurrency holdings rose to 7%, up three percentage points from 2024.
“Diversification is one of the most effective ways to weather uncertainty, and these findings highlight how affluent investors are building more diversified portfolios,” said Willem Sels, Global Chief Investment Officer of Private Bank and Premier Wealth at HSBC. “Notably, the increased allocation to alternative assets reflects how affluent investors are taking advantage of new access opportunities, especially to private markets.”
The report highlighted strong investor interest in gold. According to the survey, half of the respondents said they plan to own gold within the next 12 months – double the current ownership levels.
Among those, 41% are looking to buy physical bullion, while 28% are considering digital gold assets.
The yellow metal is also gaining traction among younger investors, with tokenized gold assets emerging as one of the most in-demand products in this year’s survey.
