Gold Goes DeFi: RAAC and I-ON's $200M Tokenization Democratizes Institutional-Grade Wealth

RAAC, a decentralized Real World Asset (RWA) lending and borrowing ecosystem, has partnered with I-ON Digital Corp (OTCQB: IONI) to tokenize $200 million of gold, marking a significant expansion of its on-chain investment offerings. The collaboration positions RAAC among the top 15 RWA protocols by total value locked (TVL) in decentralized finance (DeFi), joining entities like BlackRock and Tether. This move aims to bridge traditional finance and DeFi by enabling tokenized gold to serve as collateral for decentralized investment strategies, including auto-compounding vaults, gold-backed lending markets, and participation in ZENO Bonds and iRAAC index poolsRAAC Adds $200M of Gold to DeFi with Listed Tokenizer I-ON^[1].

The partnership leverages I-ON's ION.au, a gold-backed digital asset compliant with London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) standards, to underpin RAAC's new stablecoin, pmUSD. This stablecoin will be partially collateralized by ION.au and accessible for decentralized strategies, enhancing liquidity and capital efficiency in the DeFi ecosystem. RAAC's integration of Chainlink proof-of-reserves and attestation by Instruxi-a leader in RWA tokenization-ensures institutional-grade transparency and trustless validation for its partnersRAAC Adds $200M of Gold to DeFi with Listed Tokenizer I-ON^[1].

Kevin Rusher, founder of RAAC, emphasized the milestone as a pivotal step in integrating real-world assets into DeFi. "This deal marks a historic moment for the integration of physical assets into decentralized finance," he stated, noting that gold's inclusion supports open finance's potential to democratize access to sustainable wealth creationRAAC Adds $200M of Gold to DeFi with Listed Tokenizer I-ON^[1]. I-ON Digital's CEO, Carlos X. Montoya, described the agreement as a "watershed moment," highlighting its role in advancing market accessibility and trust in tokenized assetsRAAC Adds $200M of Gold to DeFi with Listed Tokenizer I-ON^[1].

RAAC's testnet launch in October 2025 attracted $235 million in gold-backed deposits, with institutional interest driving its development of protocols for gold and real estate tokenization. The platform's genesis NFT collection, RAAC Bots, generated $30 million in on-chain capital within seconds of its minting on Magic Eden, reflecting strong community engagementRAAC Adds $200M of Gold to DeFi with Listed Tokenizer I-ON^[1]. The project is currently available to non-US persons and operates in a limited number of jurisdictionsRAAC Adds $200M of Gold to DeFi with Listed Tokenizer I-ON^[1].

The collaboration underscores growing momentum in RWA tokenization, with RAAC and I-ON aligning with industry leaders like Chainlink and Curve to establish infrastructure for cross-chain liquidity and governance. I-ON's $1 million investment in RAAC as a founding partner of the RWA Federation-a governance body guiding the ecosystem's development-further signals confidence in the project's long-term viabilityRAAC Adds $200M of Gold to DeFi with Listed Tokenizer I-ON^[1].

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