Introduction

What is the Bitcoin Gold Protocol?

The Bitcoin Gold Protocol (BGP) is a simple and open framework for representing physical gold bars as digital inscriptions on Bitcoin. Each bar is recorded as a "Gold Certificate Token" (GCT), which includes key information like weight, serial number, custodian, and supplier.

These inscriptions are fully native to Bitcoin, requiring no additional tokens, bridges, or blockchains. They can be transferred, displayed, or redeemed for physical gold, and are structured to ensure provenance, auditability, and vendor neutrality.

The Bitcoin Gold Protocol is 100% native to Bitcoin Ordinals. It does not rely on any tokens, sidechains, bridges, or external smart contracts, everything is managed on-chain through parent/child provenance, inscription metadata and sat ownership.

Why Tokenize Gold on Bitcoin?

Gold is one of the most trusted and time-tested assets in the world, but owning and redeeming physical gold can be complex, expensive, and opaque. The Bitcoin Gold Protocol makes gold ownership more accessible, auditable, and portable by representing gold bars as digital inscriptions directly on Bitcoin.

It removes the need for off-chain trust systems, custodial IOUs, or separate token networks. Instead, each bar is represented by a Bitcoin-native inscription, secured by the network itself and controlled by the holder of the sat.

Use Cases

The Bitcoin Gold Protocol enables a wide range of use cases that make physical gold more accessible, flexible, and transparent:

• Gold bar sales via marketplaces: Vendors can issue and sell gold bars directly through digital marketplaces, with each sale linked to a verifiable GCT.

• Peer-to-peer trading of vaulted gold: Users can trade or gift ownership of physical gold without needing to move the bar.

• Transparent vaulting and auditing: Each bar's metadata is verifiable and immutable, enabling proof-of-holdings for custodians.

• Personalized gold ownership: Users can inscribe messages, dedications, or notes (e.g., gifting a bar as a collectible or keepsake).

• Redemption at scale: Enables redemption at vaults without the need for account registration or trusted third parties.

Notice

This documentation was created by the team behind Trio marketplace and is work in progress.