FYI: BRICS Now Controls Half of the World's Gold

In what may be one of the most seismic shifts in the global financial order in decades, the BRICS alliance — composed of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa — is dramatically reducing its reliance on the U.S. dollar by ramping up gold production and stockpiling bullion. The result: BRICS nations and their aligned partners now command roughly 50% of the world’s gold output and reserves, a milestone reshaping geopolitical and economic power far beyond bullion markets. (IDN Financials)

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This isn’t a subtle rebalancing — it’s a coordinated strategic pivot. Russia and China have been at the forefront, churning out vast quantities of gold in 2024, with Beijing producing around 380 tones and Moscow close behind with 340 tones. Combined with gold production from other BRICS members and aligned nations such as Brazil, South Africa, Kazakhstan, Iran, and Uzbekistan, the bloc’s share of global gold output now stands near half of all mining production. (IDN Financials)

But production tells only part of the story. The bloc has also aggressively accumulated reserves, with BRICS central banks consistently purchasing more gold than the rest of the world. Between 2020 and 2024, more than 50% of total global central bank gold purchases came from BRICS nations, a historic streak of sustained buying that reflects a conscious strategy to diversify away from dollar-denominated assets. (The BizLens)

As of late 2025, BRICS gold reserves collectively exceed 6,000 tones — led by Russia’s roughly 2,336 tones, China’s 2,298 tones, and India’s approximately 880 tones. Brazil also made headlines by adding 16 tones in September, its first acquisition since 2021. (IDN Financials)

This gold-centric transformation runs deeper than hoarding metal. The alliance is developing alternative financial infrastructure designed to operate outside the U.S. dollar’s long-standing primacy. A prototype of a gold-backed BRICS instrument called the “Unit” has already been introduced in a pilot program. Under this framework, the Unit is backed by 40% physical gold and 60% BRICS currencies, creating a hybrid asset that could eventually underpin new pricing and settlement systems — a direct challenge to dollar-dominated finance. (Wikipedia)

Economists within the bloc openly frame these moves as protective measures. With geopolitical tensions and Western sanctions still reverberating after years of standoffs, gold is viewed as a secure hedge — a safeguard against the vulnerabilities of paper currencies and political risk. A leading voice at the Precious Metals Summit in Colorado captured the intensity of this shift:

“We may be entering an era of hard money. If you hold only paper gold, you don’t truly own it. When crisis hits, that gold won’t be there.” (The BizLens)

 

Across Eurasia, trade is already being restructured. Russia and China now settle most of their bilateral commerce in yen and rubles, and local currencies have become more prevalent within the Eurasian Economic Union — clear expressions of de-dollarization in action. (The BizLens)

Taken together, BRICS’ control of gold production, rising reserves, and infrastructure initiatives signal more than a portfolio tweak — they suggest a reorientation of global financial power away from the dollar toward a multipolar system grounded in tangible assets. Whether this marks the beginning of a new monetary epoch or merely a strategic diversification strategy remains intensely debated, but the implications are undeniable: a world once hinged on U.S. monetary primacy is now confronting an old, elemental force — gold — reborn at the center of global finance. (IDN Financials)