Browsing: BRICS

• BRICS’ owned New Development Bank (NDB) was set up in 2015 by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
• The multilateral lender is planning to disburse about $5 billion in loans this year.
• The bank has an initial verified capital of $100 billion and a subscribed capital of $50 billion.

Emerging economies could give the superpowers a run in the lending sector with the the BRICS alliance planning to disburse about $5 billion in loans this year. This was announced by the bloc’s New Development Bank (NDB) Vice President Zhou Qiangwu on Tuesday, March 26.

As China, one of Africa’s closest trade …

• Proponents say this push embodies a broader vision for a politically impartial and more inclusive global financial ecosystem.
• Observers however question whether blockchain currency can survive under the often fractious BRICS bloc.
• Not long ago, the BRICS bloc unveiled plans to introduce the New Development Bank, an idea that remains largely unclear.

The push to redefine the contours of global economics has taken a new turn following a deal by the BRICS bloc—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—along with recent members Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to pioneer a blockchain-backed currency.

BRICS is setting the stage for the launch of a blockchain-powered currency and payment system, an initiative that is poised to take on the hegemony of the US’ King dollar that has held the global financial system by the jugular for decades.

Decentralized Financial Revolution: A Leap Forward

Central to this ambitious endeavor …

• Tanzania and India have agreed to trade in local currencies weaning off the use of the US dollar.
• There are advantages of using local currencies in trade versus the traditional dollar.
• Tanzania and India have also agreed on military, maritime, and space technology cooperation.

India’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretary Dammu Ravi has met with Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan with reports emerging that the two leaders have among other things, agreed to trade in Rupees, the sub continent’s local currency.

The decision implies that the two countries, with long-running business ties, will effectively wean off using the king dollar as their ‘gold standard’, instead embracing the Indian Rupee as their common currency in exchange for value.

“When international transactions are denominated in local currencies, countries can avoid currency fluctuations and the associated risks. This stability helps to mitigate exchange rate volatility, reducing uncertainty and facilitating more accurate planning …

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 threw oil and gas markets into disarray. Consequently, the world experienced the first real global energy crisis during the uneven economic recovery from the COVID-19 epidemic. Russia’s inclusion in the OPEC+ group has hampered international attempts to manage the situation. This has made it harder to handle the significant inflationary effects of rising global fuel prices, particularly in developing nations.

Global fuel prices have risen exponentially in the last few months. The rise is hugely significant, as it has seriously aggravated the global cost-of-living crisis. African economies have particularly been on the receiving end. The continent has suffered from disrupted supply chains and a slowdown in the global economic outlook. Thus, rising energy costs complicate matters even further.…

• Egypt and Ethiopia will join BRICS alongside Saudi Arabia, Iran and Argentina starting January 1st, 2024.
• This takes membership into the bloc to three countries across the continent after South Africa.
• With the inclusion of Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, three major oil-producing nations globally will become part of the bloc.

Egypt and Ethiopia alongside oil-rich Saudi Arabia, Iran and Argentina have received an invite to join the BRICS bloc, originally formed by Brazil, Russia, India, and China in 2009. The momentous shift could reshape the global economic landscape and will take effect 1st January 2024.

Notably, this expansion comes at a time when geopolitical tensions between the West and the East have been escalating. In particular, the inclusion of Iran and Saudi Arabia in the BRICS bloc indicates a strengthening of the China-Russia-led coalition that could challenge the influence of Western powers.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who …

• Heads of State from China, Brazil, and India, except Russia will attend the 15th BRICS summit in Johannesburg South Africa, starting August 22.
• President Vladimir Putin will participate in the summit virtually but will be represented in Johannesburg by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
• The bloc is also expected to discuss how to boost local currency fundraising and lending within the New Development Bank.

The five nations, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) are now a band of economies showcasing their ambition to maximize their emerging economies potential, across geopolitics axis. In one day time, heads of state from China, Brazil, and India, (except Russia) will attend the 15th BRICS summit in Johannesburg South Africa from August 22-24.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are expected to discuss a number of items as …

The BRICS countries bear a profound responsibility amid a shifting global economic axis. They have the extraordinary chance to reshape the world order, bestowing more significant equity and amplified voice upon the realms of the Global South.

A defining moment in the global economic axis awaits as the BRICS Summit 2023 gathers in South Africa. It signals the member countries to seize this opportunity to shape an unprecedented global economic governance system, an inclusive, all-encompassing, and efficient system.…

• As of 2021, the value of Brazil-Africa trade was $7.4 billion, being 56 percent drop from $17 billion in 2011.
• Brazil’s energy giant Petrobas left Africa in 2020, selling off its subsidiary, Petrobas and Gas BV.
• President Lula: “Brazil would not be what it is today without the participation of millions of Africans”.

The Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) has mapped out potential investment and trade opportunities across Africa, a pointer to a new era of economic relations between the two regions that literally sit on opposite sides of the south Atlantic Ocean.

The move is part of the organ’s broader efforts to promote Brazilian products and services abroad and attract foreign investments to strategic sectors.

Historically, it is only fair that Brazil increases its economic and bilateral relations with Africa, a continent where over half of her population trace their origin.

After a recent major drop in …

In recent months, the discourse about de-dollarisation has gained momentum. The sanctions against Russia have exposed the danger of over-dependence on the US dollar in international trade. The recent foreign exchange challenges have also recharged the growing efforts to bolster other currencies.

De-dollarisation could soon become a reality. A BRICS substitute to the dollar could enjoy high prospects for success, a former White House adviser, Joseph Sullivan, has noted. Sullivan served as a staff economist at the White House Council of Economic Advisers during the Trump administration. According to him, a potential BRICS currency poses a unique threat to the dominance of the US dollar in international trade.…

The global financial landscape has undergone a remarkable transformation in recent times. Remarkably, the issue of the de-dollarization of international trade is slowly but steadily gathering momentum. A rising trend toward de-dollarization is challenging the longstanding supremacy of the United States in the international financial system. As the dominant global reserve currency, the US dollar remains pivotal in international trade, investment, and financial transactions.…