Brazil Pushes BRICS to Shift From US Dollar, Advocating National Currencies in Global Trade

Brazil pushes for a shift away from the U.S. dollar within the BRICS alliance, advocating for more use of national currencies in trade among member countries. As the group expands, discussions on alternative payment platforms are gaining momentum ahead of the BRICS summit in Kazan. Brazil aims to advance this initiative during its 2025 chairmanship, reflecting growing momentum among member states.

Brazil Advocates for National Currencies in BRICS Trade

Brazil’s Foreign Affairs Secretary for Asia and the Pacific, Eduardo Paes Saboia, stated on Tuesday that Brazil is advocating for a greater use of national currencies among BRICS member countries in global trade, aiming to reduce reliance on the U.S. dollar. Originally established in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China, the BRICS group was later joined by South Africa in 2011. In 2024, BRICS expanded further with the inclusion of Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, and Ethiopia as full members.

Speaking to reporters, Saboia noted that discussions about this shift are already underway, stating that the issue of reducing the reliance on the U.S. dollar “has already been considered at meetings of finance ministers and heads of central banks” of the BRICS nations. Expressing optimism about the upcoming BRICS summit in Kazan, he was quoted by Tass publication as stating:

I hope that those discussions will be reflected in a certain way in the declaration in Kazan.

Saboia also confirmed that Brazil would continue pushing for an increased share of national currencies in trade among BRICS members during its chairmanship in 2025.

This initiative aligns with comments made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in September, who mentioned that a report on alternative payment platforms for BRICS nations would be prepared for the Kazan summit. Lavrov said the report would explore “options for creating alternative payment platforms for settlements between BRICS member countries.”

Additionally, Dilma Rousseff, the president of the BRICS New Development Bank, revealed in October that the financial institution intends to “use national currencies for investing in the private sector of the economies of member states.” The Kazan summit will be a key event during Russia’s chairmanship of the organization, which has planned over 200 events this year.