NatGold, sometimes referred to as “green gold,” represents the concept of monetizing natural gold—gold that is left unextracted and remains in the ground. The distinctiveness of NatGold lies in the method of capturing its value, making it a superior choice for monetary purposes compared to its above-ground counterpart, which serves better for industrial, jewelry, and luxury uses.

The value of NatGold is realized through the tokenization of NI 43-101 certified gold resources, which are fundamental to all investment decisions related to gold mine financing for extraction purposes. By being digitally mined and kept in its natural state, NatGold provides a plentiful supply to meet flexible monetary demands without the need for the security, storage, transportation, and insurance required for physical gold.

Moreover, NatGold is ESG-friendly (Environmental, Social, and Governance), positioning NatGold as a positive force for sustainable finance, in stark contrast to the significant environmental and social impacts associated with above-ground gold extraction and processing.

An ounce of NatGold is not physically different from a traditional ounce of gold; both are essentially the same element, gold. The distinction lies in their extraction and storage methods. NatGold leverages a digital mining process that is ESG-friendly, allowing the gold to remain securely in the earth. This process unlocks the monetary value of gold without physical extraction, preserving the environmental, social, and economic landscape.

In contrast, a traditional ounce of gold is physically mined, requiring it to be dug out of the ground and brought to the surface. This conventional method captures the value of gold but often comes with significant environmental, social, and financial costs.

The International NatGold Council, initially known as the International Green Gold Council, was founded in December 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland, by New York-based OroEx Corp. as a Swiss commercial foundation.

Structured as an independent governing body, the Council functions separately from industry participants, including its founding entity, OroEx Corp. Its Board of Directors consists of an exceptionally experienced and diverse team of individuals with international expertise.

The International NatGold Council’s primary mission is to develop legislative policies and set integrity standards for the NatGold industry, focusing on the comprehensive tokenization and monetization ecosystem. This mission is vital for cultivating a robust NatGold industry characterized by the utmost monetary integrity for NatGold coins.

In addition to its policy-making activities, the Council is committed to globally promoting the NatGold marketplace. Through strategic marketing and targeted media campaigns, it seeks to inform the worldwide community about the exceptional advantages of NatGold, establishing it as the leading asset-backed digital currency.

At the International NatGold Council, maintaining good governance and a strong reputation is paramount. These principles ensure that we operate with transparency, accountability, and integrity—key to building trust among stakeholders such as industry sponsors, affiliates, partners, government legislators, and the broader community. This trust is essential for fostering collaborations and gaining regulatory and public support.

A strong reputation boosts our credibility and authority, promoting high standards within the NatGold industry. It attracts quality partnerships and encourages participation from key ESG industry players, enhancing our ability to effect positive changes and advocate for sustainable practices. Therefore, robust governance and a solid reputation are vital for advancing our mission to nurture a responsible and prosperous NatGold industry.

NatGold legislation, often referred to as natural gold or green gold legislation, is designed to amend and expand current mining laws to provide a sustainable alternative to the traditional, production-centric mining model. It enables entities within the conventional mining legal framework to convert their exploration or exploitation titles into NatGold titles. Once a title is transitioned into a NatGold mining title, it obtains a form of perpetual protection, making it exempt from production permits. Instead, these titles become eligible for tokenization, allowing them to be exchanged for NatGold coins. This innovative approach aims to preserve natural resources while still leveraging their economic value, aligning with modern environmental and sustainability goals.

Perpetual or perpetual-like title protection in NatGold legislation is vital to ensure that NatGold coins, which are backed by certified green gold resources, remain a reliable store of value. Traditional mining titles are generally issued by governments for fixed periods, such as 20 or 30 years, allowing companies to explore and exploit subsurface mineral rights. However, for a monetary asset like NatGold coins, the backing asset—certified gold resources—must not expire. Money, unlike perishable goods, should not have a shelf life.

Perpetual title protection ensures that the value represented by NatGold coins is enduring and stable, thereby upholding the monetary integrity of NatGold as a dependable and long-lasting store of value. This approach aligns with the foundational principles of sustainable and ethical finance, ensuring that NatGold remains a viable and attractive option for investors and stakeholders in the long term.

To ensure the NatGold industry’s integrity and sustainability, it’s critical to eliminate ongoing state fees and royalties tied to traditional mining titles. Such ongoing annual costs, if applied, necessitate the issuance of new NatGold coins to cover them, risking the one-to-one correspondence between NatGold coins and certified gold resources. This could potentially dilute NatGold coins’ monetary integrity by introducing the possibility of devaluation within the ecosystem. Therefore, abolishing these fees and royalties is paramount to preserving NatGold coins as a reliable and devaluation-resistant store of value, safeguarding against the depreciation that could arise from ongoing state-imposed costs.

For the global expansion of the NatGold marketplace, ensuring NatGold mining titles can be transferred internationally to a designated NatGold tokenizer is crucial. This capability facilitates the conversion of titles into NatGold coins, significantly contributing to the growth of the NatGold ecosystem worldwide. It enables the seamless integration of gold resources from various jurisdictions into the NatGold economy, enhancing the diversity and liquidity of NatGold coins as a digital asset. International transferability supports the broader adoption and utility of NatGold, making it a truly global digital gold currency.

U.S. Patented Land Claims are a unique type of property right established under the General Mining Act of 1872, designed to promote the exploration and extraction of mineral resources on public lands. These claims grant full ownership of both surface and subsurface rights to the claimant, allowing for comprehensive control over the mining and management of mineral resources. Originally issued by the General Land Office—now known as the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)—these claims provided a mechanism for individuals and companies to secure land for mining, playing a pivotal role in the development of the American West.

As privately held assets, U.S. Patented Land Claims include both the surface and subsurface mineral rights, distinguishing them from public lands where mining rights are typically leased or licensed. This ownership model facilitates complete autonomy in the exploration, development, and extraction processes, making these claims particularly valuable for the tokenization of physical gold resources into digital NatGold coins. Although the issuance of new mineral patents was significantly curtailed by a moratorium enacted in 1994, existing claims that met all the requirements before this enactment are still in effect, offering a vital pathway for the digital mining of gold through tokenization in the evolving landscape of the NatGold industry.

U.S. Patented Land Claims align well with NatGold legislative policy primarily because they provide comprehensive ownership rights that include both surface and subsurface mineral rights. This dual ownership structure allows holders to fully control their property without the complications of ongoing fees or royalties that are common with traditional mining titles. Moreover, the associated costs, primarily property taxes, can be significantly reduced or even eliminated by severing the subsurface rights from the surface rights, thereby assigning the tax liability solely to the surface rights holder.

Additionally, these claims are perpetual and fully transferable, which are crucial attributes for the NatGold industry. The perpetual nature of these claims ensures that there are no expiry dates on the rights to the resources, aligning with NatGold’s requirement for a stable and lasting resource base. The ability to freely transfer these claims supports the continuity and integrity of title transfers, a fundamental requirement for tokenizing these assets within the NatGold ecosystem. Together, these features provide a stable foundation for the NatGold industry, facilitating the seamless integration of real-world gold resources into the digital economy.

U.S. Patented Land Claims typically include both surface and subsurface rights, granting the owner full control over the entire property. However, it is possible for these rights to be severed, meaning that the surface rights and subsurface mineral rights can be owned separately. This process involves legally separating the ownership of the surface land from the mineral rights beneath it.

Once severed, the subsurface mineral rights can be sold, leased, or retained independently of the surface rights. This allows different parties to own and manage these distinct interests separately. Severing rights is a legal process that must comply with state and federal laws, and it often involves formal agreements and registrations to clearly define the split in ownership.

Severing the subsurface rights from the surface rights can be particularly advantageous for several reasons. For one, it allows the owner to retain the valuable subsurface mineral rights while potentially selling or leasing the surface land. More importantly, from a financial perspective, separating these rights can significantly impact the financial obligations associated with the property. In the context of U.S. Patented Land Claims, the only financial obligation typically tied to unified ownership is property taxes, which, though often minimal, still represent a recurring cost.

For tokenization purposes in the NatGold ecosystem, where no ongoing fees are acceptable to avoid devaluation of the NatGold coins from their 100% certified gold resource backing, it is imperative for owners to sever the subsurface rights containing the certified gold resources. By doing so, they effectively separate these rights from the surface rights, thus severing the title from any ongoing property taxes. This separation ensures that the subsurface rights, now free from the burden of property taxes, remain a pure asset backed solely by the certified resources they contain, ideal for use within the NatGold framework.

While U.S. Patented Land Claims offer a clear pathway for tokenization within the NatGold industry, given the presence of certified gold resources, the opportunity to obtain new Patented Land Claims was effectively closed in 1994. That year, the United States Congress enacted a moratorium that significantly restricted the issuance of new mineral patents, although it grandfathered existing claims that had fulfilled all requirements before its enactment.

To develop a truly global NatGold market, there is an urgent need for NatGold legislation that accommodates the digital mining of all certified gold resources. This legislation is critical not only at the federal and state levels in the United States but also internationally, aiming to establish a cohesive, globally recognized standard for the NatGold industry.

Certification standards play a pivotal role in the NatGold ecosystem, with only titles containing certified gold resources under the National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects being eligible. Established by the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum (CIM), NI 43-101 certified gold resource reports are the benchmark in global gold mining and finance and the most widely accepted reporting standard by all major world stock exchanges.

The meticulousness of NI 43-101 in auditing and validating the existence of gold resources ensures unparalleled reliability, making it the most trusted metric for mining financiers worldwide. This level of certainty and quality is crucial for NatGold legislation, ensuring that only the most accurately quantified and scientifically backed gold resources are tokenized, maintaining the highest standards of integrity and trust in the NatGold ecosystem.

A NI 43-101 certified gold resource report is a comprehensive document independently prepared by “Qualified Persons” who serve as auditors of gold resource estimates, adhering to the standards set by the Canadian National Instrument 43-101 (Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects). This regulatory framework ensures that the public disclosure of scientific and technical information about the existence of gold resources is accurate, reliable, and follows consistent standards.

The report provides detailed information on a mineral project’s geology, exploration results, drilling data, and gold resource estimation. Specifically for gold, the report outlines the quantity, grade (quality), and other geological characteristics of the gold deposits within a project. It categorizes the resources into Measured, Indicated, and Inferred resources based on the level of geological certainty of the gold’s existence.

NI 43-101 certified gold resource reports are essential for investors and stakeholders in the mining industry, providing a trusted basis for investment decisions and ensuring transparency and accountability in public disclosures about mineral properties.

“Qualified Persons” (QPs) are integral to the Canadian National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) standards for mineral project reporting. These professionals must have a minimum of five years of experience in the area of mineral exploration, mining, or project evaluation related to the deposit type and activity being reported on. Importantly, QPs are required to be members in good standing of a recognized professional association, such as the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia (APEGBC), among others across Canada and internationally that uphold similar professional standards and ethical codes.

The independence of QPs is critical to maintaining the credibility of NI 43-101 reports. To ensure impartiality:

Professional Ethics and Standards: As members of reputable professional associations, QPs adhere to strict ethical codes that mandate integrity and objectivity in their assessments.

Regulatory Criteria for Independence: NI 43-101 defines clear criteria to prevent conflicts of interest, ensuring that QPs do not have a vested interest in the projects they report on, beyond their professional fees for services rendered.

Mandatory Disclosure: QPs must disclose any potential conflicts of interest in their reports, including financial interests or any relationships with the company that could be perceived as compromising their independence.These measures guarantee that mineral resource estimates and technical evaluations are conducted following the highest standards of professional conduct, offering a reliable and unbiased perspective to investors and the public.

The roles of the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum (CIM) in the context of National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) are distinct yet complementary:

1. Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA):

Regulatory Role: The CSA is responsible for regulating securities laws in Canada, including the enforcement of NI 43-101. Its primary function is to ensure compliance with the rules and standards set for the public disclosure of scientific and technical information on mineral projects.

Investor Protection: The CSA aims to protect investors by ensuring that the disclosures about mineral projects are truthful, complete, and comply with the regulations, thus helping investors make informed decisions.

2. Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum (CIM):

Standards Development: The CIM is instrumental in developing the definitions and standards that are incorporated into NI 43-101. They provide the framework and guidelines used to report on mineral resources and reserves.

Expertise and Guidance: CIM offers guidance based on the expertise of professionals in the mining industry. This includes best practices in documentation and reporting that companies must follow to align with NI 43-101 standards.Essentially, while the CIM provides the technical definitions and standards, the CSA enforces these standards within the legal framework of the Canadian securities market, ensuring that all public disclosures meet these established criteria. This system ensures that both the technical accuracy and regulatory compliance are maintained in the reporting of mineral projects.

The Committee for Mineral Reserves International Reporting Standards (CRIRSCO) is a pivotal non-profit organization dedicated to harmonizing global mining reporting practices. It comprises representatives from National Reporting Organizations (NROs) from various countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, and South Africa. CRIRSCO provides the International Reporting Template (IRT), a framework that aligns national and regional standards into a globally recognized guideline, ensuring consistency and comparability in the reporting of mineral estimates, resources, and reserves worldwide.

Although CRIRSCO doesn’t have a central physical headquarters, it operates through its member organizations spread across these countries. This template aids in maintaining transparency and reliability in public reporting, which is crucial for investor trust and regulatory effectiveness in the mining sector. CRIRSCO’s international collaborations and its endorsement by global entities underline its significant role in shaping mining standards globally.

Canada’s National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) has had a significant influence on the design of CRIRSCO’s International Reporting Template (IRT). Developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators, NI 43-101 sets stringent guidelines for the public disclosure of scientific and technical information related to mineral projects, which emphasize transparency, accountability, and detailed reporting. The comprehensive nature of NI 43-101, particularly its rigorous requirements for Qualified Persons and its structured approach to defining mineral resources and reserves, served as a model for many of the principles incorporated into the IRT.

This influence ensures that the IRT aligns with the high standards of reporting established by NI 43-101, facilitating consistency and comparability among international mining reports and aiding in the global harmonization of mineral resource and reserve reporting standards. This alignment is crucial for fostering trust and confidence among investors and regulators in the mining industry worldwide.

Regulation S-K 1300 is a set of regulations implemented by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to modernize and improve the disclosure and reporting standards for mining properties. It replaced the previous Industry Guide 7, aiming to align U.S. reporting requirements more closely with global standards.

CRIRSCO’s International Reporting Template (IRT) played a significant role in the development of Regulation S-K 1300. The IRT provided a framework that helped harmonize the various national and regional reporting standards into a globally accepted guideline. This alignment was crucial in informing the SEC’s approach, ensuring that S-K 1300 would facilitate greater consistency and comparability in the reporting of mineral resources and reserves, aligning it more closely with international standards and enhancing the transparency of disclosures to better serve global investors.

NI 43-101 Technical Reports are automatically accepted by the SEC under Regulation S-K 1300 due to their strict adherence to the regulation’s rigorous standards, which prioritize detailed, transparent, and reliable disclosures of mineral resources and reserves. These reports are developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators and set a high standard for the public disclosure of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. This includes stringent requirements for the qualifications and responsibilities of “Qualified Persons” who verify the reports, ensuring that the disclosed information is both accurate and verifiable.

In contrast, reports from other standards like JORC (Australia) or SAMREC (South Africa) might require additional reconciliation to align with S-K 1300. While these standards are internationally aligned to the CRIRSCO templates, which share common core definitions and guidelines with S-K 1300, they often have slight variations in definitions and reporting criteria. These differences mean that technical reports from these and other non-Canadian jurisdictions may need to demonstrate their compliance with S-K 1300’s specific requirements through detailed reconciliation, making them not automatically acceptable like NI 43-101 reports.

Yes, NI 43-101 Technical Reports are often considered the “gold standard” within the international financial community for mineral project reporting. This reputation stems from their rigorous standards for transparency, accuracy, and detail in reporting mineral resources and reserves. Developed under the guidelines set by the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM), these reports require comprehensive disclosure and are overseen by qualified professionals who must adhere to strict ethical and professional standards.

The NI 43-101 Technical Report is the preferred choice for mining financiers worldwide when assessing potential funding for mining operations. As a result, NI 43-101 reports are uniquely recognized and accepted by all major global stock exchanges, further solidifying their status as the most widely trusted and authoritative source for certifying gold resources.

The higher degree of certainty and reliability associated with NI 43-101 reports, as compared to other international standards, ensures that investors, financiers, and other stakeholders have the most dependable information at their disposal when evaluating the potential of gold mining projects. This level of trust has established the NI 43-101 reports as the benchmark for gold resource reporting, thereby justifying their recognition as the “gold standard” in the industry and the only standard acceptable for tokenization into NatGold coins.

The essence of NatGold’s valuation lies in its innovative approach to digital mining, which capitalizes on the inherent value of gold’s existence rather than its physical retrievability. This method relies on the assessment of certified gold resources, which quantify the presence of gold irrespective of its extraction feasibility. Conversely, certified gold reserves evaluate the economic viability of extracting these resources, a consideration irrelevant to NatGold’s mission. The International NatGold Council upholds a philosophy that sidesteps the environmentally and financially costly process of physical extraction in favor of a more sustainable, digital approach.

By choosing to tokenize gold based on its certified existence, NatGold challenges the traditional mining paradigm, rendering the debate over extraction viability moot. This shift not only aligns with environmental conservation efforts but also redefines the utility of gold as a store of wealth. It renders the act of extracting gold only to secure it in vaults both illogical and wasteful. Through digital tokenization, NatGold ensures that gold can fulfill its monetary role while remaining undisturbed in the earth, showcasing a practical commitment to ESG principles and making a clear case for the absurdity of conventional extraction methods.

The classification of certified gold resources into Measured, Indicated, and Inferred categories provides a structured approach to understanding the probability of quantifiable gold existence. This system allows for:

Measured Resources: These represent the highest certainty regarding the quantity and quality of gold, based on detailed and reliable exploration data.

Indicated Resources: These offer a moderate level of certainty, with enough exploration to assume the continuity of mineralization but less detail than measured resources.

Inferred Resources: These have the lowest level of certainty, based on limited data, suggesting the presence of gold with the least precision.

This distinction emphasizes the progression from speculative estimates to highly reliable quantifications as exploration advances, aligning with NatGold’s tokenization model that values the quantification of gold resources without necessitating physical extraction.

The gold resource exchange ratios in the NatGold tokenization model reflect the NatGold Council’s approach to categorizing gold resources based on their certification level: Measured, Indicated, and Inferred. These ratios determine the number of NatGold coins created for each ounce of gold resource, adhering to industry-standard certifications to maintain the integrity and reliability of NatGold as a digital asset:

Measured Resources: With the highest degree of certainty and detail in gold existence estimates, Measured resources are exchanged at a 20% tokenization discount. Thus, one ounce of Measured resources is equivalent to 0.80 of a NatGold coin.

Indicated Resources: Positioned between Measured and Inferred in terms of accuracy, Indicated resources undergo a 60% tokenization discount. This translates each ounce of Indicated resources to 0.40 of a NatGold coin.

Inferred Resources: As the category with the lowest precision, Inferred resources are allocated an 80% discount in tokenization, valuing every ounce at 0.20 of a NatGold coin.

This structured approach ensures that the NatGold tokenization model is grounded in established mining and financial practices, offering a trustworthy and stable digital asset based on gold’s intrinsic value.

Tokenization is the process of converting rights to an asset into a digital token on a blockchain. These digital tokens represent ownership or a claim on the asset, enabling it to be traded or managed on digital platforms. This innovative approach offers a secure and efficient means of handling assets, utilizing the transparency, immutability, and distributive nature of blockchain technology.

In the context of the NatGold model, tokenization involves creating digital tokens that represent ownership of a certain amount of gold resources, as certified by NI 43-101 reports. Each NatGold coin is a digital representation of gold resources, making the intrinsic value of gold easily transferable and accessible without the need for physical handling. This process democratizes access to gold as an investment, making it possible for individuals and institutions to invest in gold resources with ease and confidence.

Tokenization transforms traditional asset management and investment by breaking down barriers to entry, reducing costs associated with transactions and storage, and enhancing liquidity in the market. By leveraging blockchain technology, tokenization introduces a new era of asset utilization and investment, opening up opportunities for innovation and value creation.

How is the baseline intrinsic value of NatGold calculated?

The baseline intrinsic value of NatGold is calculated using a global per ounce average profit comparative methodology developed by the International NatGold Council. This method assesses the profit potential of NatGold by comparing the global average cost of gold production, as indicated by the All-In Sustaining Cost (AISC), against the current market price of gold. This approach provides a robust framework for establishing the minimum intrinsic value of NatGold coins, emphasizing their potential profitability in the global market.

Calculating Production Costs: The All-In Sustaining Cost (AISC) is used as a key metric in this comparison. AISC is a global weighted average calculated quarterly by the World Gold Council, based on the reported costs of each publicly reporting mining company for that period. This figure reflects the comprehensive cost faced by publicly reporting gold mining companies to mine, refine, and market one Troy ounce of gold.

Above Ground Market Price Reference: The market price used in this calculation is derived from the latest daily average price for a Troy ounce of gold, as reported by authoritative sources like the London Bullion Market Association and the NYMEX spot gold price.

Intrinsic Price Value Baseline: For example, employing a 90-day AISC of US$1,342 for Q4, 2023, and a hypothetical market price of US$2,200 per ounce, the intrinsic profitability is calculated by subtracting the most recent quarterly global weighted average AISC from the market price. In this instance, the average global profit would be $858 per ounce. This serves as the baseline intrinsic value of gold before the expenditure of US$1,342 to physically extract the gold via traditional mining methods.

NatGold’s approach diverges from traditional practices by focusing exclusively on digital mining certified gold resources in an ESG-friendly way. Essentially, the intrinsic baseline value of an ounce of NatGold is theoretically equal to the average per ounce profit realized by global gold producers, which is calculated by subtracting the average global cost of extraction from the prevailing market price of gold.

This positions NatGold as a sustainable crypto-commodity, capable of attracting a significant ESG premium, potentially even surpassing traditional gold’s market value as global sustainability awareness increases. This valuation transcends conventional production cost-profit analyses, advocating for NatGold’s price to be independently determined by its own merits as a sustainable and innovative financial asset.

Tokenization, in the context of NatGold, is aptly termed “digital gold mining” because it transforms the concept of mining by moving the process from the physical world to the digital sphere. This innovative approach represents certified gold resources as digital tokens, known as NatGold coins, on a blockchain. Unlike traditional gold, these digital tokens can be traded, sold, or held as investments, mirroring the functionality of physical gold but eliminating the environmental degradation associated with gold mining.

By enabling the virtual exchange and holding of gold resources, this method pioneers a sustainable, efficient, and ESG-friendly avenue for harnessing the monetary benefits of gold. It sidesteps the need for physical extraction, offering a contemporary solution that aligns with global sustainability goals. The term “digital gold mining” thus encapsulates this modern process, highlighting a shift towards a more responsible and innovative way to value and interact with gold in the digital economy.

It’s extremely common for a gold deposit to include significant amounts of other metals—both precious and otherwise—alongside the gold. Silver is one such metal that frequently occurs with gold and has a rich monetary tradition alongside its “big monetary brother.”

Silver has always played an important monetary role throughout history. Sometimes referred to as the “common man’s gold,” silver was historically used for more routine commercial transactions of a smaller nature, whereas gold fulfilled larger transactions. The true monetary history of the world is bimetallic: gold and silver.

One significant difference between gold and silver is that over time, the monetary utility of silver became overshadowed by industrial usage, which accounts for about 60% of its utility. Thus, its monetary utility is no longer its primary utility, whereas with gold, its store of wealth utility remains its primary function.

Because silver plays an important role in the global investment world, with as much as 40% of its demand for investment and store of wealth purposes, it is important to recognize their value. Therefore, in models like NatGold, certified silver resources are valued on their gold equivalent ratio basis. This means that the NI 43-101 certified silver resource is converted into its gold equivalent value within the same resource category; inferred, indicated, or measured resources.

It is important to note that NatGold’s legislative policies are focused on gold as the primary element of tokenization. The silver resources to which we are referring would be a by-product resource that occurs along with the primary certified gold resource.

Historically, the gold-silver ratio has been about 47:1 for most of the past century, but it has averaged around 60:1 over the past 20 years. In the last decade, this trend has widened, and it is not uncommon to see the ratio exceed 80:1. Most monetary metal analysts recognize that, due to the store of value nature of both gold and silver, when the ratio expands above 80:1, investors tend to sell their gold holdings to buy silver, and vice versa when the ratio falls below the 60:1 level.

For the NatGold tokenization model, the International NatGold Council has adopted a conservative approach by setting the gold-silver ratio at 90:1. This setting means that one ounce of certified gold resources is equivalent to 90 ounces of certified silver resources, regardless of the classification—whether inferred, indicated, or measured.

For example, if 90,000 ounces of NI 43-101 certified silver resources are present in the indicated resource category, the 90:1 gold-silver ratio set by the International NatGold Council would yield a 1,000-ounce certified gold equivalent in the indicated category. This enables the title owner to tokenize the 1,000 ounces of gold equivalent indicated resources according to the established exchange ratios used by OroEx Corp. when digitally mining the resources into NatGold coins.

ESG stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance. These three broad categories are used to evaluate the sustainability and ethical impact of an investment in a company or business. Here’s what each component generally focuses on:

Environmental criteria consider how a company performs as a steward of nature. This includes its energy use, waste, pollution, natural resource conservation, and treatment of animals. The criteria can also help evaluate any environmental risks a company might face and how the company is managing those risks.

Social criteria examine how it manages relationships with employees, suppliers, customers, and the communities where it operates. This can include labor practices, employee health and safety, and the company’s impact on the communities where it operates.

Governance deals with a company’s leadership, executive pay, audits, internal controls, and shareholder rights. This aspect looks into how a company is governed, particularly in terms of transparency, accountability, and business ethics.

These factors are increasingly important to investors, as they can affect a company’s profitability, risk profile, and overall sustainability.

The Fifth Pachakuti, as foretold by the Inca civilization, represents a period of profound transformation that began in 1992, marking the end of an era and the emergence of a new one characterized by balance, harmony, and sustainability. This concept resonates today as we face global environmental crises and a deeper understanding of our interconnectedness with nature. In Incan prophecy, a Pachakuti is a 500-year cycle of renewal, and the Fifth Pachakuti symbolizes the time when the path of the Eagle—representing mind, science, and industrialization—reunites with the path of the Condor, which symbolizes heart, intuition, and a spiritual connection to nature. This era is envisioned as a convergence of these historically divergent paths, fostering a united consciousness that is essential for global sustainability.

This transformative period aligns with the current shift towards Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles, reflecting a global move towards more sustainable, equitable, and environmentally conscious practices. The reawakening to these values under the Fifth Pachakuti supports the transition from traditional, often destructive economic activities like physical gold mining to more sustainable approaches such as those advocated by the International NatGold Council. This council promotes the tokenization of gold, preserving natural resources and minimizing environmental impact, which embodies the ESG-conscious change envisioned in this new era. This alignment suggests that our contemporary environmental and social reforms are not just modern necessities but are part of a larger, cyclic transformation echoing ancient wisdom—a true manifestation of the Fifth Pachakuti.

NatGold mining is considered environmentally, socially, and governance (ESG)-friendly because it promotes the monetization of natural gold resources without the physical extraction of gold from the earth. This innovative approach involves the tokenization of National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) certified gold resources, which are kept in their natural state underground. Unlike traditional gold mining, NatGold mining does not involve the environmentally and socially detrimental activities typically associated with the extraction and processing of physical gold, such as land degradation, water pollution, and the displacement of communities.

Furthermore, NatGold mining eliminates the need for the extensive security measures, transportation, storage, and insurance required for physical gold, thereby reducing the carbon footprint and enhancing the sustainability of gold as a financial asset. By leveraging digital tokenization, NatGold provides a stable, secure, and flexible supply of monetary assets that meets modern financial system demands without the negative environmental and social impacts of traditional gold mining practices. This positions NatGold as a pivotal component in sustainable finance, offering an ESG-friendly alternative to conventional methods of gold monetization.

NatGold Miners, often called natural gold or green gold miners, are primarily gold exploration companies or producers that focus on developing new or acquiring existing gold deposits with National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) certified resources. Operating within jurisdictions with NatGold legislation, their main activity is “swapping or exchanging” mining titles for an equivalent quantity of NatGold coins through tokenization. This method bypasses traditional gold mining by utilizing legal frameworks that allow the digital tokenization of in-ground gold resources. Consequently, these resources are mined digitally in an ESG-friendly manner, avoiding the negative environmental and social impacts typically associated with physical extraction. This process effectively unlocks gold’s monetary value without the detrimental effects. NatGold Miners are instrumental in the expansion of the NatGold ecosystem, fostering the sustainable and digital monetization of gold resources.

The NatGold ecosystem is a comprehensive hybrid ledger/blockchain-based platform designed to facilitate the tokenization of qualifying mining titles containing certified gold resources into NatGold coins, ready for storage, distribution, and global trading within a DeFi framework. Operating in a fully auditable, transparent, and strategically managed manner, the ecosystem encompasses key components such as the NatGold Trust, NatGold Digital Vault, NatGold Bilateral Bridge, NatGold Multichain, and NatGold Media DApp. Together, these elements ensure a secure, transparent, and regulatory compliant environment, exemplifying a robust NatGold framework.

OroEx Corp., based in New York, NY, is the founder and exclusive operator of the NatGold ecosystem, a comprehensive hybrid ledger/blockchain-based platform that facilitates the tokenization, storage, distribution, and global trading of NatGold coins within a DeFi framework. OroEx ensures that all components of its operations are fully auditable, transparent, and strategically managed.

The NatGold ecosystem encompasses several key components:

NatGold Digital Vault: Actively facilitates the tokenization process and safeguards all related documentation by securely recording and managing tokenized assets.

NatGold Bilateral Bridge: Facilitates seamless interactions between the ledger system and blockchain networks.

NatGold Multichain: Supports the global distribution, storage, and trading of NatGold coins.

NatGold Media DApp: Delivers continuous communication and updates on the NatGold industry within the DeFi universe, keeping stakeholders informed and engaged.

Each component works in concert to ensure a secure, transparent, and regulatory compliant environment, making the NatGold ecosystem the essence of the global NatGold industry.

The NatGold Integrity Trust, established by the International NatGold Council and incorporated in Delaware, plays a critical role in the NatGold ecosystem. As the pivotal entity overseeing the tokenization of NatGold mining titles into NatGold coins, the Trust also holds custody of these titles, ensuring the integrity and transparency of the process.

The Trust’s operation involves a meticulous approval process for tokenizing NatGold mining titles, managed by three independent trustees appointed by the International NatGold Council. These trustees, experts in securities law and NI 43-101 resource reporting, conduct their roles without direct financial interests in the industry participants, underscoring the Trust’s commitment to unbiased and ethical governance.

Upon approval, the NatGold Integrity Trust deposits the mining titles, corresponding NI 43-101 Technical Reports, and accompanying due diligence materials into the NatGold Digital Vault. Here, the certified gold resources are digitally tokenized into NatGold coins based on standardized ratios set by the International NatGold Council. This ensures that every NatGold coin is backed by verified gold resources, maintaining the system’s integrity and offering a transparent digital asset backed by tangible value.

The NatGold Digital Vault, operated by OroEx Corp., is a crucial component of the NatGold ecosystem, specifically engineered to tokenize, securely manage, and store NatGold Coins before their distribution, storage, and trading on the NatGold Multichain. These coins result from the tokenization of mining titles containing NI 43-101 certified gold resources. The vault utilizes ledger-based technology that incorporates some blockchain principles, such as ledgering and digital signatures. However, it remains a closed system to ensure controlled access and enhanced security, distinguishing it from public blockchains, which are accessible by the general public.

This Digital Vault is designed with a robust security architecture to safeguard sensitive information. It operates on a closed ledger system, which allows for stringent control over all transactions related to the creation and distribution of NatGold Coins. To maintain data integrity and prevent tampering, each transaction is securely hashed using advanced cryptographic algorithms. Additionally, comprehensive audit trails capture detailed logs of all operations, enhancing the vault’s compliance and auditability.

Access to the NatGold Digital Vault is tightly regulated through sophisticated authentication mechanisms, ensuring that only authorized personnel can interact with or access the system. This is further supported by role-based access control, which assigns different levels of permissions based on the specific roles of the participants. The physical and network security measures in place, including encryption of sensitive data and regular security audits, ensure that the vault remains not only compliant but also resilient against unauthorized access and data breaches. This combination of privacy, security, and transparency makes the NatGold Digital Vault a pivotal element in maintaining the integrity and trustworthiness of the NatGold ecosystem.

The NatGold Bilateral Bridge is a pivotal technological infrastructure within the NatGold ecosystem, designed by OroEx Corp. to connect the private ledger of the NatGold Digital Vault with the NatGold NatGold Multichain where NatGold coins are actively stored, distributed, and traded globally. This bridge plays a critical role by facilitating the seamless and secure transfer of NatGold coins from their post-tokenization crediting in the Digital Vault to their respective public blockchain addresses.

Essential to both operational oversight and regulatory compliance, the NatGold Bilateral Bridge utilizes advanced technologies such as smart contracts, APIs, and cryptographic security measures. These tools ensure that the transfers and tracking of NatGold coins are conducted securely and efficiently, thereby preserving the integrity and trustworthiness of the digital asset management system. This infrastructure not only supports the smooth functioning of the NatGold ecosystem but also enhances its capacity for strategic decision-making and regulatory adherence.

The NatGold Multichain is an advanced blockchain architecture within the NatGold ecosystem, designed by OroEx Corp. to enhance the functionality and scalability of NatGold coins. It comprises a primary public blockchain and several interconnected sidechains or Layer 2 solutions.

Primary Public Blockchain: This is the main blockchain where NatGold coins are initially issued and managed. It records all primary transactions, smart contracts, and operations related to NatGold coins, serving as the foundational layer of the system.

Sidechains and Layer 2 Solutions: These are secondary frameworks connected to the main blockchain. They are specifically designed to increase transaction capacity and speed by processing transactions separately from the main chain. This helps alleviate bottlenecks and reduces transaction costs, making them more economical, especially for frequent or smaller transactions. Additionally, these sidechains allow for the testing and implementation of new blockchain technologies and protocols that may not be feasible on the primary blockchain.

Interoperability and Flexibility: A key feature of the NatGold Multichain is its emphasis on interoperability, which allows different blockchain networks within the ecosystem to communicate and interact seamlessly. This interoperability is crucial for broadening the usability and functionality of NatGold coins across various platforms and applications. It also offers users a greater flexibility in wallet choices, enabling them to select a wallet based on their preferred blockchain, considering factors such as security features, transaction costs, and user interface.

Cross-Chain Technology: Utilizing blockchain bridges and similar technologies, the NatGold Multichain facilitates the transfer of NatGold coins between the primary blockchain and other blockchains within the ecosystem. This ensures that NatGold coins maintain their value and functionality across different blockchain environments.

Practical Implications: For users, the NatGold Multichain structure enhances the overall experience by offering faster transactions and lower costs. It allows users to interact with NatGold coins in diverse environments and seamlessly return to the main blockchain when necessary. From a broader perspective, this architecture significantly increases the market reach and adoption of NatGold coins, enabling users on various blockchains to engage with and utilize NatGold coins without needing to switch to a new blockchain system.

The NatGold Public Accountability Vault, operated by OroEx Corp., is an innovative transparency initiative within the NatGold ecosystem. Designed as a fully visible and inspectable online resource, this public vault houses all key due diligence documents supporting the NatGold tokenization process. It serves as a cornerstone for accountability and public trust in the NatGold coin system. The vault includes digital copies of critical documents such as the mining title registered in the name of the NatGold Integrity Trust, NI 43-101 Technical Reports, and other important due diligence materials. These documents are made publicly available to ensure that any interested parties can inspect and verify the accuracy and authenticity of the information provided during the tokenization process.

Key features of the Public Vault include real-time data on the total number of NatGold coins minted, distribution statistics, and the verification that all minted coins are 100% backed by NI 43-101 certified gold resources. Utilizing the NatGold Bilateral Bridge between the NatGold Digital Vault and the NatGold Multichain, the vault updates an ecosystem audit every 24 hours. This audit verifies that the total amounts of NatGold coins in circulation on the NatGold MultiChain are equivalent to the amount historically distributed from the NatGold Digital Vault, enhancing security and trust in the system.

The primary goal of the NatGold Public Accountability Vault is to foster unparalleled transparency and trust across all aspects of the tokenization and distribution processes. By providing open access to critical documentation and real-time data, the system ensures that stakeholders can continually verify the integrity and backing of the NatGold coins. This open vault allows for ongoing public oversight, inviting users, investors, and regulators to engage directly with the operational and financial details of the NatGold ecosystem. It empowers them to conduct independent verifications, promoting an inclusive and transparent digital asset environment.