Gold is Becoming “Monetary Infrastructure”

“Gold loves to make its way through guards, and breaks through barriers of stone more easily than the lightning’s bolt.”

— Horace

April 21, 2025 — Why is gold marching steadily higher while everything else is trading chaotically? An X thread from @mcm_ct_usa offers a useful— and for gold bugs, very exciting —explanation. Here’s a condensed version:

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Gold is quietly being re-monetized—and most people don’t see it. Here’s what’s happening, why it matters, and why it’s not priced in. This is for anyone who understands markets, but not the monetary architecture behind them.

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Most people think gold is just an inflation hedge. They’re missing something bigger: Gold is becoming Tier 1 collateral again. And that changes everything.

Historically, gold was money. It backed empires, settled international trade, and stabilized systems. Until 1971—when the U.S. closed the gold window. That decision turned gold into a commodity. But not for long.

Even after 1971, central banks kept gold. They never sold it off like other assets. Why? Because gold wasn’t dead. It was just sleeping—outside the system, waiting for recognition. That moment is now.

Enter Basel III. In 2023, global regulators began reclassifying physical gold as a Tier 1 asset—equal to cash or sovereign bonds. This is not a theory. This is regulatory policy.

Bank of England — July 2024

Federal Reserve — March 2025

ECB — April 2025

Basel III full implementation — June 30, 2025

Gold is being hardwired into global banking.

Gold as a Tier 1 Asset Means More Demand from Banks.

Why does this matter? Because it changes who can hold gold, how they use it, and what it’s worth to the system. Gold is now usable collateral for banks. They can borrow, lend, and settle with it.

That turns gold into active liquidity. Not just a store of value.

We’re talking about a return to gold as balance sheet capital—fully counted, fully trusted.

This isn’t about inflation anymore. It’s about structure. Gold is rising not because people are scared…but because banks are buying—quietly, systematically, under new rules.

Gold ≠ crypto. Crypto is outside the system. Gold is being brought back into the system. Approved. Custodied. Trusted. Global. It’s the opposite trajectory.

Most people still think in price terms. But Basel III is about utility. Gold is becoming useful again—for banks, nations, and institutions. Utility leads price. Always.

Now ask yourself: Why is gold hitting ATHs without retail FOMO? Without Fed pivoting? Without crisis? Because this isn’t a reaction. It’s a transition.

So what actually changes?

Banks can now use gold as Tier 1 capital.
Gold becomes accepted as interbank collateral.
Those who custody gold now hold system-grade liquidity.

That creates a two-tiered gold market:

Paper gold = derivatives, ETFs, futures.
Real gold = vaulted, allocated, physically settled. Only one gets Tier 1 status.

We are now watching the re-rating of gold. It’s not about a price spike. It’s about gold being re-weighted—against other assets, against debt, against global risk.

Gold is still historically cheap in relative terms with most other assets ridiculously overvalued. It’s at ATHs in nominal dollars, but discounted versus equities, real estate, and other assets bloated by fiat expansion.

As gold becomes Tier 1 collateral, its monetary premium will rise. It won’t just be a trade. It will be a reference point.

The smart money isn’t trading gold. They’re positioning around it—vaulting it, settling it, insuring it. Basel III gives them a reason to do it system-wide.

And now it’s not just central banks accumulating. It’s commercial banks, family offices, and sovereign wealth funds. Not speculation. Structural demand.

If you hold gold now—physical, allocated, auditable—you’re not hedging. You’re front-running the collateral shift that the world will recognize after it’s complete & it’s too late… in my opinion, this is related to Agenda 21 and Agenda 2030. The idea is to make people poor in real terms.

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This isn’t just a gold rally. This is the reintroduction of gold back into the most significant monetary infrastructure role it’s ever had. It will not happen twice in our lifetime.

Gold isn’t becoming Tier 1 because of price. It’s rising in price because it’s becoming Tier 1.

Gold is no longer just a store of value. It’s becoming a tool of liquidity—inside the global system. If you understand, you know what happens next.

Gold isn’t a trade. It’s infrastructure. You need to know what’s coming.

This shift to gold as Tier 1 isn’t happening in a vacuum. It aligns with broader global financial restructuring under frameworks like Agenda 2030 and Agenda 21. You may not see the connection yet. But the dots are real—and they’re deliberate.

Agenda 2030 is marketed as sustainable development. But behind the buzzwords, it quietly introduces a model of centralized liquidity + decentralized poverty. You don’t own your home. You don’t own your energy. And soon—if you’re not careful—you don’t own your value.

Gold (and silver) are being structurally elevated while attention is focused on digital distractions. Crypto will remain volatile. Fiat will inflate. But real collateral— $GOLD —will be restricted, vaulted, and eventually out of reach. Unless you front-run that now.

John Rubino

“Gold loves to make its way through guards, and breaks through barriers of stone more easily than the lightning’s bolt.”

— Horace

Turn Your Images On

Most people think gold is just an inflation hedge. They’re missing something bigger: Gold is becoming Tier 1 collateral again. And that changes everything.

Enter Basel III. In 2023, global regulators began reclassifying physical gold as a Tier 1 asset—equal to cash or sovereign bonds. This is not a theory. This is regulatory policy.

Bank of England — July 2024

Federal Reserve — March 2025

ECB — April 2025

Basel III full implementation — June 30, 2025

Gold is being hardwired into global banking.

Gold as a Tier 1 Asset Means More Demand from Banks.

Why does this matter? Because it changes who can hold gold, how they use it, and what it’s worth to the system. Gold is now usable collateral for banks. They can borrow, lend, and settle with it.

That turns gold into active liquidity. Not just a store of value.

We’re talking about a return to gold as balance sheet capital—fully counted, fully trusted.

This isn’t about inflation anymore. It’s about structure. Gold is rising not because people are scared…but because banks are buying—quietly, systematically, under new rules.

Gold ≠ crypto. Crypto is outside the system. Gold is being brought back into the system. Approved. Custodied. Trusted. Global. It’s the opposite trajectory.

Most people still think in price terms. But Basel III is about utility. Gold is becoming useful again—for banks, nations, and institutions. Utility leads price. Always.

Now ask yourself: Why is gold hitting ATHs without retail FOMO? Without Fed pivoting? Without crisis? Because this isn’t a reaction. It’s a transition.

So what actually changes?

Banks can now use gold as Tier 1 capital.
Gold becomes accepted as interbank collateral.
Those who custody gold now hold system-grade liquidity.

That creates a two-tiered gold market:

Paper gold = derivatives, ETFs, futures.
Real gold = vaulted, allocated, physically settled. Only one gets Tier 1 status.

We are now watching the re-rating of gold. It’s not about a price spike. It’s about gold being re-weighted—against other assets, against debt, against global risk.

As gold becomes Tier 1 collateral, its monetary premium will rise. It won’t just be a trade. It will be a reference point.

The smart money isn’t trading gold. They’re positioning around it—vaulting it, settling it, insuring it. Basel III gives them a reason to do it system-wide.

And now it’s not just central banks accumulating. It’s commercial banks, family offices, and sovereign wealth funds. Not speculation. Structural demand.

Turn Your Images On

This isn’t just a gold rally. This is the reintroduction of gold back into the most significant monetary infrastructure role it’s ever had. It will not happen twice in our lifetime.

Gold isn’t becoming Tier 1 because of price. It’s rising in price because it’s becoming Tier 1.

Gold is no longer just a store of value. It’s becoming a tool of liquidity—inside the global system. If you understand, you know what happens next.

Gold isn’t a trade. It’s infrastructure. You need to know what’s coming.

John Rubino

Back in April, when we published what we called the Trump Great Reset Strategy, we described the grand realignment we believed President Trump and his acolytes were embarking on in three phases.

At the time, it read like a conceptual map. As the months passed, it began to feel like a set of operating instructions written in advance of turbulence.

As you can expect, any grandiose plan would get all kinds of blowback… but this year exhibited all manner of Trump Derangement Syndrome on top of the difficulty of steering a sclerotic empire clear of the rocky shores.

The “phases” were never about optimism or pessimism. They were about sequencing — how stress surfaces, how systems adapt, and what must hold before confidence can regenerate. And in the end, what do we do with our money?!

Relative to GDP, the net international investment claim on the U.S. economy was 20% in 2003. It had swollen to 65% by 2023. Practically every type of American company, bond, or real estate asset now has some degree of foreign ownership.

But it’s even worse than that. As the federal deficit has pumped up the GDP figures, and made a larger share of the economy dependent on government spending, the quality and sustainability of GDP have deteriorated. So, foreigners, to the extent they are paying attention, are accumulating claims on an economy that has been eroded by inefficient, government-directed spending and “investments.” Why should foreign creditors maintain confidence in the integrity of these paper claims? Only to the extent that their economies are even worse off. And in the case of China, that’s probably true.

As global government interest expense climbed, gold quietly followed it higher. The IIF estimates that interest costs on government debt now run at nearly $4.9 trillion annually. Over the same span, gold prices have tracked that burden almost one-for-one.

Silver has recently gone along for the ride, with even more enthusiasm.

Since early 2023, Japan’s 10-year government bond yield has risen roughly 150 basis points, touching levels not seen since the 1990s.

Over that same period, gold prices have surged about 135%, while silver is up roughly 175%. Zoom out two years, and the divergence becomes starker still: gold up 114%, silver up 178%, while the S&P 500 gained 44%.

According to the American Association of Individual Investors, the average retail investor has about a 70% allocation to stocks. That’s well over the traditional 60/40 split between stocks and bonds. Even a 60/40 allocation ignores real estate, gold, collectibles, and private assets.

A pullback in the 10% range – which is likely in any given year – will prompt investors to scream as if it’s the end of the world.

Our “panic now, avoid the rush” strategy is simple.

Take tech profits off the table, raise some cash, and focus on industry-leading companies that pay dividends. Roll those dividends up and use compounding to your overall portfolio’s advantage.

Back in April, when we published what we called the Trump Great Reset Strategy, we described the grand realignment we believed President Trump and his acolytes were embarking on in three phases.

At the time, it read like a conceptual map. As the months passed, it began to feel like a set of operating instructions written in advance of turbulence.

Silver has recently gone along for the ride, with even more enthusiasm.

Since early 2023, Japan’s 10-year government bond yield has risen roughly 150 basis points, touching levels not seen since the 1990s.

A pullback in the 10% range – which is likely in any given year – will prompt investors to scream as if it’s the end of the world.

Our “panic now, avoid the rush” strategy is simple.

Take tech profits off the table, raise some cash, and focus on industry-leading companies that pay dividends. Roll those dividends up and use compounding to your overall portfolio’s advantage.