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How does Monetary Metals make gold token yield, and who takes the risk?

Research question: What do the Monetary Metals & Co. partnership terms and the Cayman SPV disclosures show about how gold-backed token yield is generated, how it is split, and who bears the risk?

The facts only partly answer this. They show that Monetary Metals offers two fixed-income products for gold and silver, leases and bonds, run through a marketplace platform 2. The company states it is currently paying 3.96% annually on gold, paid in gold 6, and gold lease rates generally represent the interest paid in gold for borrowing gold 1. For leases, the investor's gold stays in the investor's own name and ownership is never transferred to Monetary Metals or a third party 8. The facts contain no partnership terms and no Cayman SPV disclosures, so they do not show how yield is split or who bears the risk; the only risk point is a general 2013 study finding that expected excess returns on gold bonds are mostly positive, which the authors read as investors perceiving them as risky 4. The newest fact is dated 2026-06-16, about four months before October 2026 2.

Checked 2026-10-14. Only documented and supported facts are used.
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Sources

[1] supported
Gold lease rates are the interest paid in gold for borrowing gold, which is one way gold holders earn a yield on their holdings.
"the gold lease rates -- interests paid in gold for borrowing gold."
Risk Premia in Gold Lease Rates (2013)
[2] supported
Monetary Metals offers two fixed-income products for gold and silver, leases and bonds, run through a marketplace platform.
"Monetary Metals provides two fixed-income options for gold and silver: leases and bonds."
Monetary Metals Is Redefining the Metals Market, Allowing ... - Fortune
[3] supported
The paper argues that economically substantive gold backing requires identifiable metal, allocated and segregated custody, enforceable conversion rights, and independent verification, not just a price reference or a reserve claim.
"it requires identifiable metal, allocated and segregated custody, enforceable conversion rights, and independent verification"
What Does 'Gold-Backed' Actually Mean? Distinguishing Market Risk from Platform Risk in Digital Gold (2026)
[4] supported
Expected excess returns on 'gold bonds' are mostly positive, which the authors read as evidence that investors perceive them as risky investments.
"Expected excess returns of "gold bonds" are mostly positive, suggesting that they are perceived as risky investments."
Risk Premia in Gold Lease Rates (2013)
[5] supported
The study finds that gold lease rates are negatively related to the level of COMEX discretionary inventory.
"Using the latter quantity, we study the relationship between gold leasing and the level of COMEX discretionary inventory and exhibit that lease rates are negatively related to inventories."
On the Lease Rate, Convenience Yield and Speculative Effects in the Gold Futures Market (2009)
[6] supported
The company states it is currently paying 3.96% annually on gold, paid in gold.
"They are currently paying 3.96% on gold, paid in gold, annually."
Monetary Metals Is Redefining the Metals Market, Allowing ... - Fortune
[7] supported
Gold futures prices have increasingly exceeded forward prices, and this gap grows with speculative pressure and with contract maturity.
"We also show that Futures prices have increasingly exceeded forward prices over the period, and this effect increases with the speculative pressure and the maturity of the contracts."
On the Lease Rate, Convenience Yield and Speculative Effects in the Gold Futures Market (2009)
[8] supported
For leases, investors' gold stays in their own name and ownership is never transferred to Monetary Metals or a third party, so the investor keeps title while the metal is lent out.
"For leases, clients’ gold remains in their name, and ownership is never transferred to Monetary Metals or a third party."
Monetary Metals Is Redefining the Metals Market, Allowing ... - Fortune