BRICS strengthens its financial autonomy with new gold-backed currency supported by assets

The emerging nations block has taken a significant step toward monetary independence by launching an innovative gold currency designed to reconfigure international trade flows. The initiative, announced on October 31, 2025, represents a strategic shift in the pursuit of alternatives to the dollarized financial system.

Structure and features of the gold-backed currency

Each unit of this gold currency is directly backed by 1 gram of precious metal, ensuring solidity in its intrinsic value. The reserve composition follows a deliberate ratio: 40% is composed of physical gold, while the remaining 60% consists of coins from BRICS member countries. This dual balance aims to combine the historical stability of gold with the strength of the participating economies.

The pilot project involves the issuance of 100 initial units. IRIAS, the entity responsible for technical management, recorded the operational details on the Cardano network on November 10, providing transparency and traceability through blockchain technology.

Objective: facilitate transactions without dollarized intermediaries

The proposal does not aim to replace circulating national currencies but to serve as a neutral instrument for cross-border transactions. Its application is specifically targeted toward payments between BRICS members and selected nations, reducing intermediary costs and exposure to fluctuations of the US dollar.

This tool responds to a structural need: simplifying bilateral trade without relying on third-country currencies, generating financial autonomy margins for participants.

Increase in gold reserves: a sign of commitment

The numbers support the seriousness of the commitment. Between January and September 2025, BRICS gold reserves increased by 129.7 tons, reaching a total volume of 145.1 tons. This substantial growth underscores both the bloc’s financing capacity and its determination to strengthen the material pillars of its monetary independence.

The increase in gold reserves is no coincidence: it provides the necessary physical backing for a gold currency based on BRICS to be perceived credibly in international markets, legitimizing its role as a viable alternative in high-volume cross-border payments.