HKGX-Backed GoldZip and the UAE's Universal Open Gold–Stablecoin Corridor

Universal Digital Intl Limited ("Universal"), the ADGM-based issuer of USDU, and Midas Labs, the leading ecosystem developer for GoldZip, today announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore connecting two of the world's most institutionally-anchored real-world asset (RWA) frameworks: the UAE's regulated stablecoin ecosystem and Asia's digital gold market.

The collaboration is announced as both regions formally position themselves as international hubs for tokenised real-world assets (RWA) — following the UAE Central Bank's Payment Token Services Regulation (PTSR) and the Fiat-Referenced Token Framework under the FSRA, and parallel policy commitments in Asia to develop institutional digital commodity infrastructure.

Universal brings its institutional standing as the first foreign payment token registered with the UAE Central Bank under the PTSR framework, alongside its existing regional integrations with Changer.ae, mBank, and AE Coin. GoldZip, the digital gold token and a subsidiary to the 115-year-old Hong Kong Gold Exchange (HKGX), brings access to one of the world's largest institutional gold markets.

The companies are championing a borderless digital future, exploring long-term synergies on how compliant digital capital and tokenised physical commodities can seamlessly interact globally.

“The UAE has built one of the most credible regulated stablecoin frameworks of the decade, and GoldZip represents one of Asia's most institutionally-anchored digital gold platforms. Connecting them — at the digital layer, without moving physical assets — is the natural next step for global RWA infrastructure.”

— Barry Ip, Director of GoldZip

“For institutional markets, tokenisation only becomes meaningful when high-quality assets can interact with trusted settlement infrastructure. USDU was built to provide regulated USD settlement for digital asset activity, and this collaboration allows us to explore new liquidity pathways for tokenised gold as part of Universal's broader focus on regulated real-world asset markets.”

— Juha Viitala, Senior Executive Officer of Universal

The MoU establishes a framework for further dialogue on joint exploration of future product collaborations. Both companies will convene working-level discussions over the coming quarters.

About Universal (USDU)

Universal Digital Intl Limited ("Universal") is established in Abu Dhabi Global Market ("ADGM") and regulated by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority ("FSRA") with Financial Services Permission No. 250089 to issue a Fiat-Referenced Token to Professional Clients only. Universal is also registered with the Central Bank of the UAE as a Foreign Payment Token Issuer under the Payment Token Services Regulation ("PTSR") and is the issuer of USDU, a fully USD-backed stablecoin registered as a Foreign Payment Token by the CBUAE.

USDU is designed to support USD settlement in connection with virtual asset and virtual asset derivative activity. USDU may not be used as a general-purpose domestic payment instrument in the UAE.

This communication is for information purposes and is intended for Professional Clients only. Under no circumstances shall this communication be deemed or construed as a direct or indirect offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase or subscribe for any securities or any offer to sell any product.

About GoldZip & Midas Labs

GoldZip is an institutional digital gold anchored to the 115-year-old HKGX ecosystem. Its ecosystem developer, Midas Labs, builds institutional Web3 infrastructure to connect traditional gold trading with digital networks.