<h1>Regulator warns online 'Digital Gold' and 'E-Gold' are unregulated, lacking securities-market protections and posing custody and counterparty risks</h1> The securities market regulator warns that online 'Digital Gold' or 'E-Gold' offerings are distinct from regulated gold instruments such as exchange-traded commodity derivatives, gold ETFs and electronic gold receipts, and therefore are not notified as securities nor governed by commodity derivatives law. These products operate outside the regulator's framework, depriving investors of securities-market investor protection mechanisms and exposing them to significant counterparty, custody and operational risks. Investors seeking exposure to gold are advised to use regulated products accessible through registered intermediaries to ensure applicability of the statutory regulatory safeguards.