Bhutan is expanding its national blockchain strategy with a gold-backed digital token issued by Gelephu Mindfulness City and backed by the Kingdom’s sovereign framework.
The TER token is designed to act as a new bridge between traditional stores of value and blockchain-based finance, according to an emailed announcement on Thursday.
The tokens are issued on Solana, and distribution and custody are handled by DK Bank, Bhutan’s first licensed digital bank. In the first phase, investors can purchase TER directly through DK Bank, combining the familiarity of traditional asset purchases with the transparency of on-chain ownership.
TER is designed to offer international investors an accessible, tokenized version of gold, but with the benefits of digital custody and global transferability, according to the statement.
Bhutan’s Gelephu Mindfulness City is a special administrative region designed to attract global investments, using digital assets for its financial reserves and innovation ecosystem, forming a key part of Bhutan’s blockchain strategy to diversify its economy and create a digital-centric future.
Bhutan’s announcement comes just days after Kyrgyzstan unveiled USDKG, a gold-backed stablecoin pegged to the US dollar, with an initial issuance of $50 million, representing one of the first state-supervised digital asset initiatives in Central Asia.
TER and USDKG demonstrate a pattern of small nations using blockchain to merge traditional assets like gold with regulated digital finance, offering a new model for digital asset development based on tangible, audited reserves.
