ORO Labs secures $1.5M to bring tokenized gold into digital finance

Bringing utility to gold through tokenization

ORO Labs, a startup focused on tokenizing gold on the Solana network, has secured $1.5 million in a pre-seed funding round. The investment was led by 468 Capital, with participation from Fasset and angel investors involved in notable Solana projects, including Phantom, Jupiter, Helium, Squads, Sanctum, Anza Labs, Perena, Bonk, and Forma.

The company aims to shift gold’s role from being a static store of value to a more dynamic financial instrument. As stated by Usman Saleem, Co-Founder and CEO of ORO Labs, “Gold shouldn’t just sit idle—it should generate wealth.” The startup wants to make gold a functional asset that can be borrowed against, earn yield, and be used seamlessly across global markets.

Shifting investor focus and strategic timing

The decision to focus on gold tokenization comes at a time when both central banks and private investors are increasing their gold holdings. With gold prices hitting historic highs—rising from $2,000 to nearly $3,000 per troy ounce since January 2024—a significant amount of capital is currently locked in idle reserves. ORO Labs aims to unlock this value through tokenized versions of physical gold, bringing it into the digital economy.

The shift toward digital assets has also contributed to this strategy. The United States government’s announcement of a digital reserve has added further momentum to this trend, with investors looking for alternatives to fiat-based systems. In this context, Guilherme Steinbruch, Partner at 468 Capital, emphasized that “We see ORO as a crucial bridge between legacy commodities markets and the next generation of financial infrastructure.”

Regional positioning and expansion plans

Last month, ORO Labs signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) to promote the adoption of tokenized gold across the United Arab Emirates and beyond. The MoU includes commitments to regulatory compliance, which the company views as essential to expanding operations in the region.

Dubai was chosen as the company’s operational hub due to its position as a major gold trading center, with over $100 billion in annual transactions. ORO Labs plans to leverage the city’s established trade networks, regulatory clarity, and access to physical gold to create a scalable and secure infrastructure for global users.

Fasset partnership to support global rollout

Through its collaboration with Fasset, ORO Labs aims to enter markets such as Malaysia, Bahrain, Indonesia, and Turkey. The company will benefit from Fasset’s regulated financial infrastructure, supporting both retail and institutional access to tokenized gold. Later this year, ORO will also launch on Own, Fasset’s Layer 2 network, to facilitate wider adoption.

As tokenized gold enters the broader crypto landscape, questions remain around how investors who value gold for its stability will respond to its integration into volatile digital markets. The coming months will test how well ORO Labs can build trust in its vision of turning gold into an asset that works across financial ecosystems.