Zodia Custody and GEMx Launch Institutional-Grade Gem Tokenization Investment Product

ChainCatcher reports that, according to FinanceFeeds, institutional investors can access the gemstone market through EmGemX, a tokenized product backed by physical emeralds. This product is jointly launched by Swiss fintech company GEMx and Zodia Custody, a compliant custodian supported by Standard Chartered Bank and Japan's SBI Holdings, offering fractional ownership of high-quality emerald portfolios stored in secure vaults and independently certified.

According to GEMx data, the relevant emerald assets have an average annual appreciation of approximately 9%. Zodia Custody will provide asset custody services regulated by the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). GEMx CEO Paul Poltner described this move as "an important milestone in bringing institutional-grade trust to the gemstone investment market." The EmGemX tokens are pegged one-to-one to the underlying gemstones, with ownership and transaction records recorded on-chain.

This collaboration aligns with financial institutions' exploration of real-world asset tokenization trends, aiming to enhance transparency and accessibility in illiquid markets through blockchain technology. Recently, Zodia Custody also partnered with tokenization platform Securitize to provide compliant custody solutions for tokenized assets such as BlackRock's USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL).