Precious metals get a digital makeover as defensive assets see renewed interest

Investment platform iTrustCapital brings precious metals and crypto together in a single dashboard, where users can buy and sell assets within self-directed retirement accounts 24/7.

Gold and silver are back in focus as investors look for defensive assets amid market volatility and persistent inflation concerns. More people are exploring alternatives outside the traditional stock-and-bond mix in search of diversification and stability.

But while demand for precious metals is growing, many legacy Gold IRA models still come with familiar friction points: heavily marked-up coins, pressure from commission-driven salespeople, and limited liquidity when it comes time to sell metals.

For many investors, the biggest concern is cost. Some companies charge steep premiums on coins while overstating the potential benefits of certain products, making it difficult for customers to fully understand what they are paying for.

At the same time, investor expectations are evolving. People who can buy Bitcoin from a dashboard at any hour now expect the same level of accessibility and control from physical commodities. As alternative assets become more mainstream, features like straightforward pricing, 24/7 account access, and the ability to manage multiple asset types from a single platform are quickly becoming baseline expectations.

Crypto, precious metals and stocks

iTrustCapital is a fintech software platform for alternative assets. It gives investors access to self-directed retirement accounts through an easy-to-use online platform. Through self-directed IRAs and taxable accounts, users can access crypto, gold, silver and soon stocks from one platform. Once funded, users can start buying and selling 24/7. That access also applies to gold and silver, which are typically associated with slower legacy IRA processes.

iTrustCapital lets users buy and sell physical precious metals through the same interface for their crypto. Gold and silver positions are backed by physical metal and ownership is ledgered through Tradewind’s VaultChain™.

The underlying bullion is stored at the Royal Canadian Mint through Kitco Metals, giving investors digital access to physical precious metals without reducing ownership to a paper-only claim. VaultChain™ records fractional ownership of institutional-grade bullion, allowing investors to gain metals exposure without relying on heavily marked-up limited-mintage coins that may offer little added value.

Execution is designed to mirror the digital investing experience many investors already use today. Users can view live metal pricing, review the quoted cost before placing an order and manage transactions from the same dashboard used for digital assets. The process removes much of the friction traditionally associated with precious metals investing, including phone-based quotes and pressure from commission-driven salesmen.

Crypto sits alongside metals inside the same account environment. iTrustCapital says users can buy and sell more than 95 digital assets, including Bitcoin, Ether and Solana. Retirement investors can buy and sell metals and selected digital assets without splitting the strategy across disconnected platforms.

Fees are shown before execution. iTrustCapital requires no monthly, annual, startup and exit fees and offers a 1% transaction fee for crypto transactions. Precious metals transactions carry transaction fees over spot per ounce.

Self-directed access gives the model its utility. Investors choose allocations directly and rebalance on their own schedule. When markets move, they can adjust through the platform interface.

Expanding the horizon for digital retirement accounts

iTrustCapital is preparing to move beyond crypto and metals. The company will be adding stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to the platform, bringing traditional equities to its existing mix of alternative assets.

Retirement accounts have often separated equities, physical commodities and digital assets into different systems. Unified interfaces compress those workflows. Costs are easier to analyze. Execution becomes faster. Portfolio changes no longer require investors to move between custodians, brokers and metals dealers.

Investors are pushing retirement platforms toward a simpler model: broader asset access, clearer costs and faster control over allocation changes. Platforms like iTrustCapital could potentially lead this transition and establish the single-dashboard approach as the definitive standard for the modern self-directed investor.