What is Kinesis gold (KAU)?

Kinesis gold (KAU) is a gold-backed cryptocurrency, launched by Kinesis - a global trading and digital asset utility platform. Each Kinesis gold (KAU) token is backed by 1 gram of investment-grade gold bullion, securely stored in Kinesis’ fully insured, audited vaults.

The mission behind KAU is to reintroduce physical gold backing to money and provide the global community with a stable store of value. Kinesis gold (KAU) has the everyday utility of a fiat currency; the borderless efficiency of a cryptocurrency, and none of the inherent volatility.

KAU enables physical gold bullion to be instantly purchased, traded, spent and sent anywhere in the world, bringing real-world access, value, and utility to physical precious metals. A true stablecoin, KAU allows crypto traders to easily exit volatile markets and enter into the enduring value of physical gold, while earning a monthly yield.

What makes KAU unique?

In an economic first, KAU holders earned the first debt-free yield on precious metals. All KAU holders receive a passive yield - paid monthly in KAU - simply for holding their metals on the Kinesis platform. The yield is calculated from a 15% share of Kinesis’ global transaction fee revenue which is shared with users who store their gold on the platform. At the time of writing, Kinesis has paid out over $3,000,000 to KAU holders.

Unlike other gold tokens, KAU can be instantly spent with the Kinesis Virtual Card, worldwide. Accessible via mobile device, the virtual card lets people everywhere instantly convert their KAU holdings into local currency at the point of sale, anywhere Mastercard is accepted. Through digitalising physical gold in the form of KAU, Kinesis has successfully reintroduced gold as a currency.

Can I redeem my gold?

Every single gram of gold underpinning KAU is available for redemption, at the click of a button. While other gold-backed cryptos offer redemption, they often set very high minimum withdrawal limits.

ERC-20 KAU is an Ethereum-based gold-backed digital asset issued by KMS Labs S.A., a company incorporated in Panama. Each ERC-20 KAU token represents a 1:1 claim on Kinesis KAU held in reserve by KMS Labs.

Kinesis KAU is the underlying digital gold instrument issued by Kinesis Cayman on the Kinesis blockchain (a Stellar fork) and is itself backed 1:1 by fully allocated physical gold bullion stored in insured third-party vaults by ABX's vault partners.

Holders of ERC-20 KAU can transfer their tokens to the Kinesis platform to access the broader Kinesis ecosystem, including yield distribution under the Kinesis fee-sharing structure and the Kinesis Virtual Card. Redemption of ERC-20 tokens for native Kinesis KAU (and ultimately physical gold) is subject to KMS Labs' terms and conditions and compliance onboarding requirements.