Mitsui & Co. Subsidiary Launches Tokenized Precious Metals Zipangcoin on Ethereum's Optimism Mainnet

Mitsui & Co. Digital Commodities Launches Tokenized Assets on Public Blockchain

In groundbreaking news, Mitsui & Co. Digital Commodities (MDC), a subsidiary of the renowned trading giant Mitsui & Co, Ltd., has announced launching its tokenized gold, silver, and platinum asset, Zipangcoin (ZPG), on Optimism’s Ethereum Layer 2, “OP Mainnet”. This development was made known through a press release shared with The Defiant, a platform known for dispensing up-to-the-minute information on blockchain and cryptocurrencies.

ZPG’s Journey To The Public Blockchain Ecosystem

Mitsui’s adoption of the public blockchain ecosystem is significant, primarily because it is the first of its kind. Zipangcoin (ZPG) had been issued and regulated under Japan’s regulatory framework since the beginning of 2022. It operated on Miyabi, a private blockchain custom-developed by bitFlyer – a veteran of centralized crypto exchanges in Japan. Switching to a public blockchain ecosystem like the OP Mainnet is a game-changer for the asset and its investors. Trading of Zipangcoin is scheduled to commence on April 20, on Japanese CEX GMO Coin, according to the press release.

Facts About Mitsui & Co., The Parent Company

Mitsui & Co., the parent company of MDC, is recognized as one of the Fortune Global 500 conglomerates and boasts a substantial market cap exceeding $105 billion. Dow Jones Media Group corroborates that the firm’s most significant shareholder is Berkshire Hathaway.

The Reason for Choosing OP Mainnet

MDC revealed the reason behind opting for OP Mainnet – it’s the fruit of thorough due diligence. They underscored that the OP Stack chains impressively processed over six billion transactions in 2025, displaying considerable growth in just two years. A new type of asset is gaining momentum: DeFi protocols, consumer fintech, and regulated financial instruments backed by physical assets. The latter is gaining traction from global commodity markets’ institutions, which have been in operation for more than a century.

Current Status of OP Mainnet

According to data from DeFiLlama, OP Mainnet currently hosts a total value locked in DeFi exceeding $393 million, thereby cementing its position as the 17th largest chain in DeFi by Total Value Locked (TVL). The stablecoin market cap of the chain is nearing $579 million, and their 30-day DEX volume is over an impressive $623 million.

Representative Sentiments

“We are delighted to partner with Optimism to bring a high-quality, commodity-linked digital asset from Japan to investors worldwide,” said Sho Miichi, the representative director, and president of MDC. Kyle Jenke, the chief business officer at OP Labs, expressed that Japan’s regulatory clarity has positioned it as one of the most compelling markets for on-chain finance, emphasizing the fitting inclusion of ZPG’s launch on Optimism to the current trend of institutional assets moving on-chain.

The Trajectory for Tokenized Assets

The wave of interest and investments in on-chain tokenized RWAs show signs of increasing potential, with a valuation of nearly $18.6 billion recorded in 2025. Analysts posit that this market could surge to a staggering $2 trillion by 2030. A recent report projected that the distributed tokenized RWA market, which refers to tokenized assets available on public chains for free transfer, will grow from the current approximate $30 billion to $400 billion by 2030.

Recent Movements in The Market

In addition to Mitsui’s milestone, tokenized precious metals trading has seen a surge in recent months on both centralized and decentralized platforms. A report from Securitize and Keyrocks in April spotted a 40x growth in just six months for RWA perpetuals linked to commodities like gold, silver, and oil. Furthermore, GMX, a decentralized perpetual exchange, recently launched 24/7 gold and silver markets on L2 Arbitrum, marking over $10 million in trades on its first day. This article is a product of AI-assistance, with human-curated, edited, and fact-checked information for optimum accuracy.