Gold prices surge triggering a "gold theft wave"! Hong Kong, Paris, and Cairo have been successively robbed. Is tokenization of gold a better choice?

As gold prices continue to soar recently, it has also prompted criminal groups to take action: within just 48 hours, major gold theft cases have occurred in Hong Kong, Paris, and Cairo, with estimated losses reaching over 100 million. (Background: The World Gold Council plans to launch digital gold PGI, how does it differ from PAXG and XAUT?) (Context: Review of the Federal Reserve's interest rate cut cycle: What will be the next move for Bitcoin, US stocks, and gold?) Recently, gold prices have continuously set new historical highs, and after the Federal Reserve announced the resumption of interest rate cuts this morning (18), gold prices even briefly surpassed the $3,700 mark. However, as gold prices continue to soar, criminal groups are getting restless: within just 48 hours, major gold theft cases have occurred in Hong Kong, Paris, and Cairo, with estimated losses reaching over 100 million. Gold price movement. Source: Trading View Three major gold theft cases According to a report from Hong Kong 01, at around 5 a.m. on September 17, about ten armed robbers broke into a gold processing factory on East Street, Hung Hom. At the time, six employees were having their meal, and the front door was not locked. The robbers acted in an organized manner without carrying any weapons, heading straight for the room where precious metals were stored, and took away about 65 kilograms of gold bars, nuggets, and gold powder, worth approximately 57 million to 58 million Hong Kong dollars, and conveniently searched the safe for about 30,000 Hong Kong dollars in cash. This case is currently under investigation by the West Kowloon Crime Unit, and the factory’s loose door management has become the focus of external scrutiny. Just the night before, the Natural History Museum in Paris also reported a theft. According to multiple reports, the thieves are suspected of using a cutting machine and a blowtorch to breach a bulletproof display case and took away a 6-kilogram natural gold nugget valued at about 600,000 euros. Furthermore, the next day, the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square, Cairo also reported missing artifacts: a gold bracelet inlaid with lapis lazuli beads, dating back over 3,000 years, disappeared from the safe in the restoration room. The Egyptian police have now requested that border ports, seaports, and airports strengthen inspections. High gold prices increase criminal rewards Since the end of 2024, inflation, geopolitical risks, and global central bank monetary easing policies have driven gold prices higher. Criminal economists believe that as the value of the target rises, the "return on investment" for theft will also increase, further attracting more organized and professional criminal teams. However, it is also worth noting that these three incidents show that the three lines of defense: traditional physical protection, technological control, and human review have all shown vulnerabilities: Hong Kong robbers acted swiftly without weapons, Paris thieves easily cut through bulletproof glass, and the Egyptian theft case specifically targeted rare artifacts under restoration… currently, global physical gold holders from jewelry processing factories to museums need to reassess their security frameworks. Can blockchain technology reduce gold theft cases? In the face of shocking gold theft cases, some in the crypto world remind us that, in fact, through blockchain technology, physical gold can be fully converted into gold tokens (Tokenized Gold), such as Tether's XAUT, and holding gold tokens is equivalent in value to holding physical gold. However, importantly, the advantage of gold tokens lies in their ease of storage, safeguarding, and transfer. Carrying a gold bar worth 1 million dollars and carrying a gold token worth 1 million dollars, the latter might feel safer walking down the street. Additionally, gold tokens also feature fractional ownership, allowing small investments, and can be integrated into Decentralized Finance (DeFi) to earn extra income; at the same time, investors can also exchange gold tokens for other assets at any time on exchanges… therefore, more and more people believe that in the future, using blockchain to hold and invest in gold may be one of the safer options compared to holding physical gold. However, it is reminded that gold tokens, due to the use of blockchain technology, also face risks of being attacked by hackers and theft of encrypted wallet keys, and investors need to understand this clearly before using them cautiously to avoid unnecessary losses due to improper operations. Related reports Gold prices surge! Bitcoin price analysis still shows upward momentum, how to capture returns in September? Gold breaks through the $3,600 new high "experts say it will rise further", will the collapse of the US unemployment rate and interest rate cuts benefit Bitcoin? Chinese A-share aunt shouts cryptocurrency: Bitcoin is digital gold, Ethereum is Web3 Nvidia, SOL is the leader of blockchain casinos <Gold prices skyrocketing triggering a 'gold theft wave'! Hong Kong, Paris, and Cairo have been stolen in succession, is tokenized gold a better choice?> This article was first published in BlockTempo "The most influential blockchain news media."