Tether to issue token backed by gold, Ripple considers IPO, and Musk speaks about cryptocurrencies

Tether is to issue a gold-backed token

Tether, the creator of the popular stablecoin USDT, announced the launch of a new token baked by gold. Tether Gold (XAUT) represents one troy ounce within the gold bars.

The bars themselves will be kept in a Swiss vault, and Tether will pay for the storage.

“Tether Gold provides the combined benefits of both physical and digital assets, removing the drawbacks of holding gold in more traditional ways, such as high storage costs and restricted access”, — Paolo Ardoino, the CTO at Tether, said.

Elon Musk: cryptocurrencies will not replace cash

The famous businessman Elon Musk contemplated on cryptocurrencies and stated that he was neither their supporter nor the opponent, however finding bitcoin’s White Paper to be “pretty clever”.

Musk also noted that digital currencies are often used in illegal transactions, although the crypto community does not like to mention this.

“This sort of gets the crypto people angry, but there are transactions that are not within the balance of the law. And, normally, cash is used for these transactions. But, in order for illegal transactions to occur, cash must also be used for legal transactions. You need an illegal to legal bridge. That’s where crypto comes in,” — the entrepreneur said.

He added that cryptocurrencies have found their niche due to the fact that cash cannot be used everywhere, but the role of digital currencies is secondary.

Ripple CEO announces his wish to hold IPO

And this can seriously affect the price of XRP. Brad Garlinghouse, CEO at Ripple, mentioned the possibility of an initial public offering (IPO) of the company during the World Economic Forum in Davos.

“In the next 12 months, you’ll see IPOs in the crypto/blockchain space. We’re not going to be the first and we’re not going to be the last, but I expect us to be on the leading side… it’s a natural evolution for our company,” — he said.

In the comments to the post, Twitter users expressed the hope that the IPO would attract funds from institutional investors and positively affect the XRP price.