SOUTH AFRICA - Is the global dominance of the US dollar in danger? In recent weeks, there has been lots of speculation about the introduction of a new BRICS currency that would be backed by gold. In this article, my goal is to sort through what is true and what is not true. From August 22nd to August 24th, the 15th BRICS summit will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa. Back on July 5th, RT sparked a firestorm of rumors when it reported that a decision to introduce a new BRICS currency that would be backed by gold would be made prior to the upcoming summit in Johannesburg. In the aftermath of that report, many prominent voices were warning that the US dollar was in big trouble.
Without a doubt, the dominance of the US dollar is under threat from multiple directions. But a new BRICS currency will not be introduced during this upcoming summit. During an interview with Bloomberg, one of the top executives at The New Development Bank publicly admitted that the creation of a new BRICS currency is “a medium to long term ambition”, but he also confirmed that such a currency will not be introduced right now.
In addition to the core BRICS nations, Bangladesh, the United Arab Emirates and Uruguay are apparently getting very close to joining The New Development Bank. Those are relatively minor players on the global scene, but if Saudi Arabia also joins, that could change everything. There is lots of chatter that this could happen soon, and during a recent interview Lobo Tiggre said that such a move would be “a watershed event”.