Discover the Blue Vault Gold

• UBS was founded in 1872 in Basel, Switzerland.
• The bank has grown significantly, and now employs 58,000 people in 50 countries.
• Its headquarters are located in the Swiss city of Zurich.

The Swiss Bank Corporation (SBC), commonly known as UBS, is one of the world's largest financial institutions. UBS has 1,000 offices and employs 58,000 people in 50 countries, second only to CitiGroup, which has more than 72,000 employees.
UBS' history began in 1850, when Swiss banker Alfred Escher, together with his three brothers, opened a small bank in Basel, Switzerland. The bank began to hold gold for its customers, who were mostly wealthy.

A Brief History of Gold

Gold has been used as money for thousands of years, but it was not until August 15, 1971, that President Nixon ended the gold standard, which had governed the currency systems of most of the world's nations.
For thousands of years, gold was considered a form of wealth, and it was also a precious metal, used for ornamentation and jewelry. It was considered valuable because of its attractive physical properties, such as its resistance to heat and corrosion, as well as its durability. In ancient Rome, for example, gold was used both as money and for the making of jewelry.

The Gold Standard

In June 2018, after the government's "America the Beautiful" bullion coin series was put into circulation, the Treasury Department announced the creation of another new gold series. This new series is known as the "Blue Vault Gold," and it's the first American gold coin program to be authorized by Congress since 1985.
In 2009, Congress authorized the production of a gold coin with "In God We Trust" inscribed on it. However, that proposal never came to fruition, and the Treasury Department instead launched a "Gold Bullion Coin" series in November 2011.
In 2017, Congress authorized the Treasury Department to issue and sell the "America the Beautiful" bullion coins, and, later that year, it passed legislation authorizing the Blue Vault Gold program.

Gold-Backed Paper Currency

One of the gold-backed financial instruments available to investors, especially those who are risk averse, is gold-backed paper currency. This is different from gold-backed securities, such as gold ETFs or gold mining company shares.
In 2013, Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) was created. CBDC is a digital currency developed by central banks as a digital version of their country's currency. CBDC is currently in development by Canada, China, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
The Central Bank Digital Currency is a digital form of money that is backed by physical gold held in vaults. Its value is equal to the market value of gold. The CBDC is transferable and divisible. This digital currency does not fluctuate in value like other forms of digital money, such as cryptocurrencies.

Gold Metals and Gold Bullion

Gold has been revered and valued for thousands of years. Due to its high purity, durability, and scarcity, gold has become a symbol of wealth and high social status.
Gold is available in a variety of forms, including coins, bars, and bullion. Each of which has unique qualities and uses.
Gold bullion is the purest form of gold. Gold bullion is minted into bars, or minted into rounds, which are about the size of a quarter. These bars are typically traded in large "good delivery" bars, weighing 400 ounces each, and bars weighing 100 ounces.
Gold bullion is traded among investors using large, round, coin-like bars of gold. These bars are traded in units known as troy ounces, which weigh 31.103 grams.

Gold in the 21st Century

Gold is often referred to as the "barbarous relic," but in the 21st Century, this metal has been reborn as the ultimate safe haven investment.
According to Goldman Sachs, gold is in a secular bull market, and prices have more than doubled since 2001 and quadrupled since 2000.
The yellow metal has surged in 2018 amid political uncertainty, geopolitical tensions, and rising interest rates. However, it's become increasingly difficult to find physical gold.

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The Bottom Line

Gold is one of the world's most traded commodities, and it's one of the most popular metals for investment purposes. Because of its scarcity relative to demand, gold tends to have a stable price. Therefore, it's an ideal way to preserve wealth or build wealth over time.