BRICS+ countries are exploring how they can foster greater use of local currencies in their trade, instead of relying on a handful of major currencies, primarily the US dollar and the euro.

The forum for cooperation among nine leading emerging economies – Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Russian Federation, South Africa, United Arab Emirates – emphasised this determination at their 16th summit in October 2024.

Economist Lauren Johnston recently wrote a paper on this development. The Conversation Africa asked her for her insights.

Why do BRIC+ countries want to trade in local currencies?

There are economic and political reasons to use local currencies. Using local currencies to trade among themselves will lower the transaction costs and reduce these countries' dependence on foreign currencies.

Over the past few centuries, the world's economy has developed in a way that makes certain currencies more valuable and widely trusted for international trade. These include the US dollar, the euro, the Japanese yen and the British pound. These currencies hold value around the world because they come from countries with strong economies and a long history of trading globally.

When people or countries trade using these currencies and end up collecting or holding them, they consider it "safe" because the value of these currencies remains stable and they can be easily used or exchanged anywhere in the world.

But for countries in the global south, like Ethiopia, whose currency (the birr) isn't widely accepted outside its borders, trading is far more difficult. Yet these countries struggle to earn enough of the major currencies through exports to buy what they need on international markets and to repay their debts (which tend to be in those currencies).