BRICS Trading Currency: Feasible, or a Mirage? History, Design Options, and Global Implications

BRICS Trading Currency: Feasible, or a Mirage? History, Design Options, and Global Implications

Calls for a BRICS trading currency reflect both frustration with the dollar’s dominance and aspirations for multipolar finance. This essay traces the history of global currencies—from Bretton Woods and petrodollars to America’s use of finance as a weapon—then examines the feasibility of a BRICS currency, possible architectures, and the implications for BRICS+, the U.S. and allies, and the wider world.