Bhutan is expanding its national blockchain strategy with a gold-backed digital token issued by Gelephu Mindfulness City and backed by the Kingdom’s sovereign framework.
The TER token is designed to serve as a new bridge between traditional value stores and blockchain-based finance, according to an emailed announcement on Thursday.
The tokens will be issued on Solana, with distribution and custody handled by DK Bank, Bhutan’s first licensed digital bank. In the first phase, investors will be able to acquire TER directly through DK Bank, combining the familiarity of traditional asset purchases with the transparency of on-chain ownership.
TER is designed to provide accessible tokenized gold to international investors, with the benefits of digital custody and global transferability, the release states.
Bhutan’s Gelephu Mindfulness City is a special administrative region designed to attract global investment and forms a key part of Bhutan’s blockchain strategy to leverage digital assets for financial reserves and innovation ecosystems, diversifying the economy and creating a digital-centric future.
Bhutan’s announcement comes days after Kyrgyzstan announced USDKG, a gold-backed stablecoin pegged to the US dollar. With an initial issuance of $50 million, USDKG will be one of Central Asia’s first state-supervised digital asset initiatives.
TER and USDKG demonstrate a pattern of small countries using blockchain to blend traditional assets such as gold with regulated digital finance, providing a new template for digital asset development rooted in audited tangible reserves.