RBI’s digital currencies plan for BRICS meet holds key to quicker global payments

New Delhi, April 21 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) proposal to the Union government to place the linking of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) of BRICS countries on the agenda for the 2026 BRICS summit, to be chaired by India, could play a key role in facilitating international payments, according to an article.

BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) has, with the recent addition of Iran, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, and Indonesia to the bloc, emerged as a major influencer in the Global South on the issue of financial governance, according to the article in Modern Diplomacy.

The RBI’s proposal gives due attention to interoperability of the Digital Rupee (e-₹) with its CBDCs. Instead of promoting the creation of a single shared supernational currency, this approach aims to interconnect the existing national currencies, such as India’s e-Rupee and Brazil’s Drex. The objective is to facilitate faster, smoother cross-border payments for trade, tourism, and financial transactions using CBDCs issued by member nations without compromising on national monetary sovereignty. Instead of relying on traditional systems like SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) or similar networks, a digital currency would enable direct settlement between national digital currencies. The primary reason the RBI is pursuing this proposal is the collective desire to reduce dependence on the US dollar. For decades, the dollar has been the world’s primary reserve currency and the main element of international trade, the article states.

However, the BRICS members are increasingly cautious about the use of sanctions and the SWIFT messaging system to cut countries off from the global economy.

This idea followed the BRICS 2025 summit in Rio de Janeiro, which encouraged the development of an interconnected payment system to speed up and simplify trade. This could strategically bring India’s rural producers into the global value system through digital finance. When exporters settle transactions in CBDCs without the costly dollar conversions, pricing becomes more competitive, the article pointed out.

The RBI recognises, in its stated proposal, the need to create interoperable technology standards so that different CBDCs can communicate securely, common governance mechanisms to set rules, and arrangements to handle trade imbalances across currencies. India and the UAE had previously signed a deal to link their CBDCs and jointly run pilot programmes, according to an RBI press release. India’s e-rupee, with 70,00,000 retail users since its 2022 launch, and China’s intent to expand global use of its digital yuan show the growing interest among members in adopting digital currency, the article added.

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