Nature isn’t just a cause.
It’s an asset class.
Nature underpins more than half the world’s GDP — it is the living infrastructure of every market.
So why store wealth in a static, extractive relic like Gold, rather than our limited nature reserves?
“If you own one ounce of gold for an eternity, you will still own one ounce at its end.” -Warren Buffett
At |XAU, we invest in assets that can grow in both size and value — procreative and productive systems that appreciate by sinking carbon, supporting biodiversity, and regenerating the very foundations of future wealth.
“The truly unique trait of 'Sapiens' is our ability to create and believe fiction. Of course, not all fictions are shared by all humans, but at least one has become universal in our world, and this is money.”
Yuval Noah Harari
Revisioning Nature Capital
We’ve been living under dangerous collective fiction: that nature is free and infinite. In a world where financial incentives are tied to its extraction and degradation, it is neither.
As we wake up to the reality of our dependence on nature, a unique opportunity emerges: to invest in its conservation through nature assets and biodiversity currencies.
We invest in Nature Assets through dedicated vehicles that hold a share of ecological rights in key biodiversity hotspots — becoming equity partners with landowners and conservation stewards.
We design Outcome-Based contracts for biodiversity and carbon currency transactions, allowing companies to make performance-based pledges to buy real, verifiable nature outcomes.
We measure the size and value of our nature assets using auditable protocols for field data collection, combined with cutting-edge technology to assess each ecosystem’s state and trajectory over time.
Why |XAU?
|XAU was founded on the belief that nature is a strategic store of wealth — like gold or art, only far more productive and valuable.
While XAU is the ticker symbol for trading gold as a commodity, |XAU comes from the indigenous Khoisan language of Southern Africa, meaning “to embark on a magical journey.”
We believe biodiversity is the real gold worth guarding — and we’ve built |XAU to lead a new kind of investment journey: one rooted in ecological value, not extraction.
Although we are passionate, our work is driven not by virtue, but by pragmatism — because protecting biodiversity is essential to protecting the long-term value of every other asset.
Our mission is not to protect nature, who doesn’t need us, but to secure a role for humanity in nature’s future.
We envision a world where wealth is stored in living reserves that appreciate while being appreciated and honoured for their fragile beauty.
Indigenous Peoples & Local Communities (IPLCs)
We believe conservation can only thrive if those who live on and off the land are recognised and rewarded for their efforts to protect its biodiversity.
As part of |XAU governance, we prioritise indigenous peoples' consultation for free prior and informed consent, recognising their unique knowledge of how to care of the entire ecosystem. The involvement of local communities ensures that adjacent lands also benefit, as people working in the region become more empowered to care for its biodiversity across roles within multiple industries.
|XAU creates "Steward Funds" to share part of our revenue with those working on the land we've invested in, directly contributing to its biodiversity conservation. A portion of this fund is evenly distributed as bonuses among the teams, while another portion supports community initiatives focused on empowering women and girls, as determined by a board of women staff.
Additionally, |XAU Governance enforces that our technology partners, investors and corporate buyers have no history of exploiting indigenous peoples, fostering a respectful and sustainable collaboration that can endure over time.
Our mission is to secure a role for
humanity in nature’s future.
Existing Partners
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![Onçafari (Brazil)]()
Onçafari (Brazil)
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![Pivotal]()
Pivotal
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![Instituto LIFE]()
LIFE Institute
About us
|XAU is rooted in the Ubuntu philosophy of interdependence.
“I am because you are, you are because I am.” In nature, as in life, every element depends on the health of the whole. Biodiversity is not a luxury — it is the living system that holds us.
|XAU was founded by tech entrepreneur Joana Picq, driven by a determination to keep our environment worth living in for generations to come. The company stands at a unique intersection of expertise and purpose — blending Joana’s entrepreneurial energy and vision, her husband Jonathan Rossouw’s deep knowledge of wildlife and wild spaces, and her sister Manuela Picq’s lifelong commitment to Indigenous rights, particularly the rights of Indigenous women.
Together, they bring a rare synthesis of capital strategy, ecological understanding, and cultural integrity.
Our mission is to secure humanity’s place in nature’s future.
By investing in nature, we transform conservation from a cost or philanthropy into an asset — a place to store value, grow returns, and build intergenerational wealth.
We enable investors to hold their wealth in reserves worth guarding — wildscapes chosen for both their performance and the beauty that speaks to their hearts.
We support companies in de-risking their future by rewarding verified ecological outcomes — stepping into the emerging biodiversity market with real integrity.
We envision a world where nature becomes the ultimate reserve, replacing static assets like gold with living systems that support human life and economic continuity on a planet that will easily outlive us.