Universal Digital Intl Limited ("Universal"), the ADGM-based issuer of USDU, Midas Labs, the leading ecosystem developer for GoldZip, and GOLDZIP DIGITAL PTE LTD 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," said Barry Ip, Director of Goldzip. "Connecting them — at the digital layer, without moving physical assets — is the natural next step for global RWA infrastructure."

"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," said 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.