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With high-quality, drill-ready assets, with world-class discovery potential, Piche Resources (ASX:PR2) is a compelling business case for investors looking to leverage a bull market for uranium and gold. The company holds a portfolio of drill-ready uranium and gold assets in Argentina and Australia which include the Ashburton uranium project in the Pilbara region; the Sierra Cuadrada uranium project in Argentina; and the Cerro Chacon gold project which shares geological similarities with the Cerro Negro mine.
The Ashburton uranium project comprises three exploration licences and has the potential to host uranium mineral deposits similar to the Pine Creek Geosyncline in Australia’s Northern Territory, and the Athabasca Basin in Saskatchewan, Canada.
iche has an internationally recognized board focused on creating long-term shareholder value, and an in-country technical team in Argentina with a proven track record of taking projects from discovery through to development.
Company Highlights
- The company’s Australian asset is the Ashburton uranium project which has been drilled previously and recorded high-grade uranium intersections over significant widths.
- In Argentina, the company’s Sierra Cuadrada uranium project in the San Jorge Basin has a significant history of high-grade, near-surface uranium mining operations.
- The company is currently drilling one of its prospects at Sierra Cuadrada and has announced visible uranium in numerous holes. Multiple other prospects are drill-ready and have the potential to host tier 1 uranium deposits.
- Exposure to gold with high-quality precious metal projects in Argentina that boast surface outcrop samples with gold grade up to 13 g/t gold.
- Internationally renowned board and management team with extensive uranium and gold exploration and development experience.
This Piche Resources profile is part of a paid investor education campaign.*
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Piche Resources
Investor Insight
With high-quality, drill-ready assets with world-class discovery potential, Piche Resources is a compelling business case for investors looking to leverage a bull market for uranium and gold.
Overview
Piche Resources (ASX:PR2) is an ASX-listed mineral exploration company focused on uranium and gold exploration in Tier-1 jurisdictions: Western Australia and Argentina. The company holds 100 percent ownership of all of its projects and is supported by a highly experienced board and technical team.
Targeting globally significant discoveries in Tier-1 mineral provinces
Piche’s portfolio includes the advanced-stage Ashburton uranium project in Western Australia and two large-scale exploration projects in Argentina: the Cerro Chacon gold-silver project and the Sierra Cuadrada uranium project. These projects have delivered high-grade exploration results and are drill-ready, positioning the company to unlock significant shareholder value through systematic exploration programmes.
Piche has an internationally recognized board focused on creating long-term shareholder value, and an in-country technical team in Argentina with a proven track record of taking projects from discovery through to development.
Company Highlights
- Flagship Ashburton uranium project in Western Australia with recent high-grade drilling results over wide intercepts.
- Sierra Cuadrada uranium project in Argentina showing extensive near-surface mineralisation with assays up to 2.86 percent U₃O₈.
- Cerro Chacon gold-silver project with high-grade surface results (up to 11.65 g/t gold and 333.7 g/t silver) across a 14 km mineralised corridor.
- Fully permitted and EIA-approved for drilling at Cerro Chacon (Chacon South and Middle).
- Large, 100-percent-owned tenement package across all projects (Ashburton: 335 sq km; Cerro Chacon: 414 sq km; Sierra Cuadrada: 1,310 km²).
- Board of directors includes former leaders of Peninsula Energy, Orano, Rio Tinto Uranium and Barrick Gold.
- Upcoming drill campaigns planned at Cerro Chacon and Ashburton to test multiple high-priority targets.
- Well positioned for growth in the context of a strengthening uranium and gold price environment.
Key Projects
Gold: Cerro Chacon, Argentina
Cerro Chacon interpreted geology and tenement holding
Cerro Chacon is a large-scale, early-stage gold-silver exploration project located in the Chubut Province of Argentina. The project is situated within a region known for hosting world-class low-sulphidation epithermal systems, including Cerro Negro and Cerro Vanguardia. With multiple gold-bearing structures confirmed over a 14 km corridor, Cerro Chacon is emerging as a highly promising and underexplored precious metals system with substantial scale and grade potential.
Project Highlights
Location: ~40 km southwest of Paso de Indios, Chubut Province
Tenure: 414 sq km across multiple tenements
Highlights:
- A 14 km-long mineralised corridor has been delineated across Chacon Grid, La Javiela and Toro Hosco prospects.
- High-grade geochemical results include:
- 11.65 g/t gold and 120.3 g/t silver at Toro Hosco
- 333.7 g/t silver, 9.48 percent lead, and 8.57 percent zinc at La Javiela South
- Maiden RC drilling programme of 57 holes (7,905 m) scheduled across three main targets:
- Chacon Grid: 45 holes (5,590 m)
- La Javiela: 8 holes (1,740 m)
- Toro Hosco: 4 holes (575 m)
- EIA approvals for Chacon South and Chacon Middle were received in May 2025, enabling drilling to proceed.
- Vein systems range from 2 to 6 km in strike length and up to 50 m in width; hosted within structurally controlled low-sulphidation epithermal veins (LSEV).
Uranium: Ashburton Project, Australia
The Ashburton project is Piche’s flagship uranium exploration asset in Australia, situated in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Located within a historically underexplored but highly prospective unconformity-related uranium district, the project provides the company with strong leverage to the growing global demand for uranium. The project is geologically analogous to world-class Proterozoic uranium systems, with multiple confirmed mineralised zones and a regional corridor of 60 km.
Project Highlights
- Location: Pilbara region, ~1,150 km north of Perth
- Tenure: 335 sq km following the recent application for tenement E52/4461 (214 sq km), adding to the existing 122 sq km holdings.
- Highlights:
- 2024 RC and diamond drilling confirmed high-grade uranium mineralisation at multiple stratigraphic levels.
- Best intercepts include:
- 3.45 m @ 5,129 ppm eU₃O₈ from 137.62 m (ARC006)
- 10.48 m @ 1,412 ppm eU₃O₈ from 114.30 m (ADD005)
- 2.42 m @ 2,681 ppm eU₃O₈ from 155.10 m (ADD003).
- 7.86 m @ 2,266 ppm eU₃O₈ from 105.42 m (ADD006)
- The company has outlined a 60 km structural corridor hosting multiple uranium occurrences including Angelo A & B, Canyon Creek, Ristretto and Atlantis.
- Atlantis prospect: historical drilling returned up to 7,400 ppm U₃O₈ over 2.2 m; rock chip samples have returned up to 37 percent U₃O₈.
Uranium: Sierra Cuadrada, Argentina
Sierra Cuadrada is Piche’s primary uranium asset in Argentina, covering a vast area within the San Jorge Basin. This large-scale project has demonstrated strong surface uranium mineralisation with multiple drill-ready prospects. With mineralisation confirmed across extensive zones and supported by historical radiometric and geochemical data, Sierra Cuadrada has the potential to host multiple Tier-1 uranium deposits in a cost-effective, near-surface setting.
Teo 5 and 6 prospect 2024 auger drill programme
Project Highlights:
Location: San Jorge Basin, ~200 km north of Comodoro Rivadavia
Tenure: 1,310 sq km across multiple licences
Highlights:
- The project area contains broad, flat-lying mineralisation at multiple stratigraphic levels.
- High-grade uranium assays include:
- 28,650 ppm U₃O₈ (2.86 percent) from rock chip sampling at Teo 8
- 24,017 ppm U₃O₈ from channel sampling
- 2,772 ppm U₃O₈ over 0.5m from auger drill sample
- Mineralised zones extend over a strike of 60 sq km, with confirmed targets on the majority of tenements.
- 2024 auger drilling and sampling confirmed uranium continuity across a sandstone and conglomerate sedimentary package with 14 samples exceeding 200 ppm U₃O₈.
- Rock chip sampling has returned 114 samples >200ppm U₃O₈
- RC drilling is planned to follow up on anomalies identified in the auger and channel sampling programmes.
Management Team
John (Gus) Simpson – Executive Chairman
John Simpson has over 37 years of experience in mineral exploration, development and mining. Previously the executive chairman and founder of Peninsula Energy Limited (ASX:PEN), a USA uranium producer.
Stephen Mann – Managing Director
Stephen Mann is a geologist with over 40 years of experience in exploration, discovery and development of mining projects, including 20 years in the uranium sector. Formerly the Australian managing director of Orano, the world’s third-largest uranium producer.
Pablo Marcet –Executive Director
Pablo Marcet is a senior geoscientist with 38 years of experience in exploration, discovery and development of mineral deposits. Currently an independent director of lithium producer Arcadium Lithium (NYSE:ALTM) and previously a director of Barrick Gold (NYSE:GOLD) and U3O8 (TSX:UWE).
Clark Beyer – Non-executive Director
Clark Beyer is an internationally recognized nuclear industry executive with over 35 years of experience. Formerly the managing director of Rio Tinto Uranium and currently principal of Global Fuel Solutions, providing strategic consulting to the international uranium and nuclear fuels market.
Stanley Macdonald – Non-executive Director
Stanley Macdonald is a nationally recognized mining entrepreneur, founding director and instrumental in the success of numerous ASX-listed companies, such as Giralia Resources, Northern Star and Redhill Iron. He is currently a director of Zenith Minerals.
Targeting globally significant uranium and gold discoveries in Australia and Argentina
What Was the Highest Price for Gold?
Gold market gurus from Lynette Zang to Chris Blasi to Jordan Roy-Byrne have shared eye-popping predictions on the gold price that would intrigue any investor — gold bug or not.
Some have posited that the gold price may rise as high as US$4,000 or US$5,000 per ounce, and there are those who believe that US$10,000 gold or even US$40,000 gold could become a reality.
These impressive price predictions have investors wondering, what is gold's all-time high (ATH)?
In the past year, gold has reached new all-time highs dozens of times. Find out what has driven it to these levels, plus how the gold price has moved historically and what has impacted its performance in recent years.
In this article
How is gold traded?
Before discovering what the highest gold price ever was, it’s worth looking at how the precious metal is traded. Knowing the mechanics behind gold's historical moves can help illuminate why and how its price changes.
Gold bullion is traded in dollars and cents per ounce, with activity taking place worldwide at all hours, resulting in a live price. Investors trade gold in major commodities markets such as New York, London, Tokyo and Hong Kong.
London is seen as the center of physical precious metals trading, including for silver. The COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange is home to most paper trading.
There are many popular ways to invest in gold. The first is through purchasing gold bullion products such as bullion bars, bullion coins and rounds. Physical gold is sold on the spot market, meaning that buyers pay a specific price per ounce for the metal and then have it delivered or stored in a secure facility. In some parts of the world, such as India, buying gold in the form of jewelry is the largest and most traditional route to investing in gold.
Another path to gold investment is paper trading, which is done through the gold futures market. Participants enter into gold futures contracts for the delivery of gold in the future at an agreed-upon price.
In such contracts, two positions can be taken: a long position under which delivery of the metal is accepted or a short position to provide delivery of the metal. Paper trading as a means to invest in gold can provide investors with the flexibility to liquidate assets that aren’t available to those who possess physical gold bullion.
One significant long-term advantage of trading in the paper market is that investors can benefit from gold’s safe-haven status without needing to store it. Furthermore, gold futures trading can offer more financial leverage in that it requires less capital than trading in the physical market. Investors can also purchase physical gold via the futures market, but the process is complicated and lengthy and comes with a large investment and additional costs.
Aside from those options, market participants can invest in gold through exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Investing in a gold ETF is similar to trading a gold stock on an exchange, and there are numerous gold ETF options to choose from depending on your preference. For instance, some ETFs focus solely on physical gold bullion, while others focus on gold futures contracts. Other gold ETFs center on gold-mining stocks or follow the gold spot price.
It is important to understand that you will not own any physical gold when investing in an ETF — in general, even a gold ETF that tracks physical gold cannot be redeemed for tangible metal.
Gold has an interesting relationship with the stock market. The two often move in sync during “risk-on periods” when investors are bullish. On the flip side, they tend to become inversely correlated in times of volatility.
According to the World Gold Council, gold's ability to decouple from the stock market during periods of stress makes it “unique amongst most hedges in the marketplace.” It is often during these times that gold outperforms the stock market. For that reason, it is often used as a portfolio diversifier to hedge against uncertainty.
There are a variety of options for investing in gold stocks, including gold-mining stocks on the TSX and ASX, gold juniors, precious metals royalty companies and gold stocks that pay dividends.
What was the highest gold price ever?
The gold price peaked at US$3,667.06, its all-time high, during trading on September 9, 2025.
What drove it to this new ATH? Gold reached its new highest price as momentum continued from the previous week, which brought the release of unexpectedly weak US jobs data.
Following the jobs report, CME Group's (NASDAQ:CME) FedWatch tool showed that the odds for a 25 basis point rate cut at the upcoming US Federal Reserve meeting had dropped from 99 to 90.2 percent, while the odds of a 50 point drop jumped to 9.8 percent. The meeting will take place from September 16 to 17.
While gold's fresh ATH came on September 8, it set multiple news highs in the two preceding weeks amid significant uncertainty in the US and global economies and surging gold ETF purchases.
One key driver came on August 29, when a US federal appeals court ruled that US President Donald Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs, announced in April, are illegal, stating that only Congress has the power to enact widespread tariffs. The Trump administration is expected to appeal the ruling, which will go into effect on October 14.
Bond market turmoil in the US and abroad on September 2 also provided tailwinds for the gold price.
Why is the gold price setting new highs in 2025?
Gold's record-setting activity extends beyond the last two weeks as well.
Increased economic and geopolitical turmoil caused by the Trump administration has been a tailwind for gold this year, as well as a weakening US dollar, sticky inflation in the country and increased safe-haven gold demand.
Since coming into office in late January, Trump has threatened or enacted tariffs on many countries, including blanket tariffs on longtime US allies Canada and Mexico and tariffs on the EU.
Trump has also implemented 25 percent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports.
The gold price set a string of new highs in the month of April amid high market volatility as markets reacted to tariff decisions from Trump and the escalating trade war between the US and China. By April 11, Trump had raised US tariffs on Chinese imports to 145 percent and China had raised its tariffs on US products to 125 percent. Trump has reiterated that the US may need to go through a period of economic pain to enter a new "golden age" of economic prosperity.
Falling markets and a declining US dollar have supported gold too, as well as increased buying from China. Elon Musk's call to audit the gold holdings in Fort Knox has also brought attention to the yellow metal.
What factors have driven the gold price in the last five years?
Despite these recent runs, gold has seen its share of both peaks and troughs over the last decade. After remaining rangebound between US$1,100 and US$1,300 from 2014 to early 2019, gold pushed above US$1,500 in the second half of 2019 on a softer US dollar, rising geopolitical issues and a slowdown in economic growth.
Gold’s first breach of the significant US$2,000 price level in mid-2020 was due in large part to economic uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. To break through that barrier and reach what was then a record high, the yellow metal added more than US$500, or 32 percent, to its value in the first eight months of 2020.
Gold price chart, August 31, 2020, to September 1, 2025.
Chart via the Investing News Network.
The gold price surpassed that level again in early 2022 as Russia's invasion of Ukraine collided with rising inflation around the world, increasing the allure of safe-haven assets and pulling the yellow metal up to a price of US$2,074.60 on March 8. However, it fell throughout the rest of 2022, dropping below US$1,650 in October.
Although it didn't quite reach the level of volatility as the previous year, the gold price experienced drastic price changes in 2023 on the back of banking instability, high interest rates and the breakout of war in the Middle East.
After central bank buying pushed the gold price up to the US$1,950.17 mark by the end of January, the Fed's 0.25 percent rate hike on February 1 sparked a retreat as the dollar and treasury yields saw gains. The precious metal went on to fall to its lowest price level of the year at US$1,809.87 on February 23.
The banking crisis that hit the US in early March caused a domino effect through the global financial system and led to the mid-March collapse of Credit Suisse, Switzerland’s second-largest bank. The gold price had jumped to US$1,989.13 by March 15. The continued fallout in the global banking system throughout the second quarter of the year allowed gold to break above US$2,000 on April 3, and go on to flirt with a near-record high of US$2,049.92 on May 3.
Those gains were tempered by the Fed’s ongoing rate hikes and improvements in the banking sector, resulting in a downward trend in the gold price throughout the remainder of the second quarter and throughout Q3. By October 4, gold had fallen to a low of US$1,820.01 and analysts expected the precious metal to drop below US$1,800.
That was before the October 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel ignited legitimate fears of a much larger conflict erupting in the Middle East. Reacting to those fears, and to rising expectations that the Fed would begin to reverse course on interest rates, gold broke through the important psychological level of US$2,000 and closed at US$2,007.08 on October 27. As the fighting intensified, gold reached a then-new high of US$2,152.30 in intraday trading on December 3.
That robust momentum in the spot gold price continued into 2024, chasing new highs on fears of a looming US recession, the promise of Fed rate cuts on the horizon, the worsening conflict in the Middle East and the tumultuous US presidential election year. By mid-March, gold was pushing up against the US$2,200 level.
That record-setting momentum continued into the second quarter of 2024, when gold broke through US$2,400 in mid-April on strong central bank buying, sovereign debt concerns in China and investors expecting the Fed to start cutting interest rates. The precious metal went on to hit US$2,450.05 on May 20.
Throughout the summer, the hits kept on coming.
The global macro environment was highly bullish for gold leading up to the US election. Following the failed assassination attempt on Trump and a statement about coming rate cuts by Fed Chair Jerome Powell, the gold spot price hit a then new all-time high on July 16 at US$2,469.30. One week later, news that then-President Joe Biden would not seek re-election and would instead pass the baton to Vice President Kamala Harris eased some of the tension in the stock market and strengthened the US dollar. This also pushed the price of gold down to US$2,387.99 on July 22, 2024.
However, the bullish factors supporting gold remained in play, and the spot price for gold went on to breach US$2,500 on August 2 that year on a less-than-stellar US jobs report; it closed just above the US$2,440 level. A few weeks later, gold pushed past US$2,500 once again on August 16, closing above that level for the first time ever after the US Department of Commerce released data showing a fifth consecutive monthly decrease in a row for homebuilding.
The news that the Chinese government issued new gold import quotas to banks in the country following a two month pause also helped fuel the gold price rally. Central bank gold buying has been a significant tailwind for the gold price this year, and China's central bank has been one of the strongest buyers.
Market watchers expected the Fed to cut interest rates by a quarter point at its September 2024 meeting, but news on September 12 that the regulators were still deciding between the expected cut or a larger half-point cut led the gold price on a rally that carried through into the next day, bringing the metal near US$2,600.
At the September 18 Fed meeting, the committee ultimately made the decision to cut rates by half a point, news that sent gold even higher. By September 20, it had moved above US$2,600 and was holding above US$2,620.
In October 2024, gold first breached the US$2,700 level and continued to higher on a variety of factors, including further rate cuts and economic data anticipation, the escalating conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Hezbollah, and economic stimulus in China — not to mention the very close race between the US presidential candidates.
While the gold price fell following Trump's win in early November and largely held under US$2,700 through the end of the year, it began trending upward in 2025 to the new all-time high discussed earlier in the article.
What's next for the gold price?
What's next for the gold price is never an easy call to make. There are many factors to consider, but some of the most prevalent long-term drivers include economic expansion, market risk, opportunity cost and momentum.
Economic expansion is one of the primary gold price contributors as it facilitates demand growth in several categories, including jewelry, technology and investment. As the World Gold Council explains, “This is particularly true in developing economies where gold is often used as a luxury item and a means to preserve wealth.”
Market risk is also a prime catalyst for gold values as investors view the precious metal as the “ultimate safe haven,” and a hedge against currency depreciation, inflation and other systemic risks.
Going forward, in addition to the Fed, inflation and geopolitical events, experts will be looking for cues from factors like supply and demand. In terms of supply, the world’s five top gold producers are China, Australia, Russia, Canada and the US. The consensus in the gold market is that major miners have not spent enough on gold exploration in recent years. Gold mine production has fallen from around 3,200 to 3,300 metric tons (MT) each year between 2018 and 2020 to around 3,000 to 3,100 MT each year between 2021 and 2023.
On the demand side, China and India are the biggest buyers of physical gold, and are in a perpetual fight for the title of world’s largest gold consumer. That said, it's worth noting that the last few years have brought a big rebound in central bank gold buying, which dropped to a record low in 2020, but reached a 55 year high of 1,136 MT in 2022.
World Gold Council data shows 2024 central bank gold purchases came to 1,044.6 MT, marking the third year in a row above 1,000 MT. In H1 2025, the organization says gold purchases from central banks reached 415.1 MT.
“I expect the Fed’s rate-cutting cycle to be good for gold, but central bank buying has been and remains a major factor," Lobo Tiggre, CEO of IndependentSpeculator.com, told the Investing News Network (INN) at the start of Q4 2024.
David Barrett, CEO of the UK division of global brokerage firm EBC Financial Group, is also keeping an eye on central bank purchases of gold. “I still see the global central bank buying as the main driver — as it has been over the last 15 years,” the expert said in an email to INN. "This demand removes supply from the market. They are the ultimate buy-and-hold participants and they have been buying massive amounts."
In addition to central bank moves, analysts are also watching escalating tensions in the Middle East, a weakening US dollar, declining bond yields and further interest rate cuts as factors that could push gold higher as investors look to secure their portfolios. “When it comes to outside factors that affect the market, it’s just tailwind after tailwind after tailwind. So I don’t really see the trend changing,” said Eric Coffin of Hard Rock Analyst.
Randy Smallwood of Wheaton Precious Metals (TSX:WPM,NYSE:WPM) told INN in March 2025 that gold is seeing support from many factors, including central bank buying, nervousness around the US dollar and stronger institutional interest. Smallwood is seeing an influx of fund managers wanting to learn about precious metals.
Joe Cavatoni, senior market strategist, Americas, at the World Gold Council, believes that market risk and uncertainty surrounding tariffs and continued demand from central banks are the main drivers of gold.
"Market risk in particular is a key strategic driver for the gold price and performance," Cavatoni told INN in a July 2025 interview. "Think strategically when you think about gold, and keep that allocation in mind."
Check out more of INN's interviews to find out what experts have said about the gold price during its 2025 bull run and where it could go next.
Should you beware of gold price manipulation?
It’s important for investors to be aware that gold price manipulation is a hot topic in the industry.
In 2011, when gold hit what was then a record high, it dropped swiftly in just a few short years. This decline after three years of impressive gains led many in the gold sector to cry foul and point to manipulation.
Early in 2015, 10 banks were hit in a US probe on precious metals manipulation.
Evidence provided by Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) showed “smoking gun” proof that UBS Group (NYSE:UBS), HSBC Holdings (NYSE:HSBC), the Bank of Nova Scotia (TSX:BNS,NYSE:BNS and other firms were involved in rigging gold and silver rates in the market from 2007 to 2013. Not long after, the long-running London gold fix was replaced by the LBMA gold price in a bid to increase gold price transparency. The twice-a-day process, operated by the ICE Benchmark Administration, still involves a variety of banks collaborating to set the gold price, but the system is now electronic.
Still, manipulation has by no means been eradicated, as a 2020 fine on JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) shows. The next year, chat logs were released in a spoofing trial for two former precious metals traders from the Bank of America's (NYSE:BAC) Merrill Lynch unit. They show a trader bragging about how easy it is to manipulate the gold price.
Gold market participants have consistently spoken out about manipulation. In mid-2020, Chris Marcus, founder of Arcadia Economics and author of the book “The Big Silver Short,” said that when gold fell back below the US$2,000 mark after hitting close to US$2,070, he saw similarities to what happened with the gold price in 2011.
Marcus has been following the gold and silver markets with a focus specifically on price manipulation for nearly a decade. His advice? “Trust your gut. I believe we’re witnessing the ultimate ’emperor’s really naked’ moment. This isn’t complex financial analysis. Sometimes I think of it as the greatest hypnotic thought experiment in history.”
Investor takeaway
While we have the answer to what the highest gold price ever is as of now, it remains to be seen how high gold can climb, and if the precious metal can reach as high as US$5,000, US$10,000 or even US$40,000.
Even so, many market participants believe gold is a must have in any investment profile, and there is little doubt investors will continue to see gold price action making headlines this year and beyond.
This is an updated version of an article first published by the Investing News Network in 2020.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Lauren Kelly, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Editorial Disclosure: The Investing News Network does not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the information reported in the interviews it conducts. The opinions expressed in these interviews do not reflect the opinions of the Investing News Network and do not constitute investment advice. All readers are encouraged to perform their own due diligence.
How Would a New BRICS Currency Affect the US Dollar?
Central to this ongoing situation is the US trade war with China, as well as US sanctions on China and Russia. Should the BRICS nations establish a new reserve currency, it would likely significantly impact the US dollar, potentially leading to a decline in demand, or what's known as de-dollarization. In turn, this would have implications for the United States and global economies.
Another factor is former US president Donald Trump returning for a second term beginning on January 20. Trump's America-first policies are expected to drive up the value of the dollar compared to its global counterparts, as was already on display the day following his election win on November 5 as China's yuan, Russia's ruble, Brazil's real, India's rupee and South Africa's rand all fell. This could in turn push these BRICS member nations to look for new paths to move away from the US dollar.
If BRICS watchers were hoping for more fireworks at the 2025 BRICS meeting held in Brazil this July, they were sorely disappointed. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping were not in attendance, and talk of a BRICS currency was much more muted. On top of this, according to Modern Diplomacy, that topic may be even less of a concern at next year's BRICS meeting to be held in India, which has sought to distance itself from a move away from the US dollar toward a BRICS common currency.
It's still too hard to predict if and when a BRICS currency will be released, but it's a good time to look at the potential for a BRICS currency and its possible implications for investors.
In this article
- Why do the BRICS nations want to create a new currency?
- When will a BRICS currency be released?
- Which nations are members of BRICS?
- What would the advantages of a BRICS currency be?
- What is Donald Trump's stance on a BRICS currency?
- How will Trump's tariffs affect BRICS nations?
- How are BRICS nations responding to US Tariffs?
- How would a new BRICS currency affect the US dollar?
- Will BRICS have a digital currency?
- How would a BRICS currency impact the economy?
- How can investors prepare for a new BRICS currency?
- Investor takeaway
- Is a BRICS currency possible?
- Would a BRICS currency be backed by gold?
- How much gold do the BRICS nations have?
Why do the BRICS nations want to create a new currency?
The BRICS nations have a slew of reasons for wanting to set up a new currency, including recent global financial challenges and aggressive US foreign policies. They want to better serve their own economic interests while reducing global dependence on the US dollar and the euro.
In recent years, the US has placed numerous sanctions on Russia and Iran. The two countries are working together to bring about a BRICS currency that would negate the economic impacts of such restrictions, according to Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalal, speaking at a press conference during the Russia–Islamic World: KazanForum in May 2024.
Some experts believe that a BRICS currency is a flawed idea, as it would unite countries with very different economies. There are also concerns that non-Chinese members might increase their dependence on China's yuan instead. That said, when Russia demanded in October 2023 that India pay for oil in yuan as Russia is struggling to use its excess supply of rupees, India refused to use anything other than the US dollar or rupees to pay.
When will a BRICS currency be released?
There's no definitive launch date as of yet, but the countries' leaders have discussed the possibility at length.
Looking back at the timeline of BRICS currency discussions, during the 14th BRICS Summit, held in mid-2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the BRICS countries plan to issue a "new global reserve currency," and are ready to work openly with all fair trade partners.
In April 2023, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva showed support for a BRICS currency, commenting, “Why can’t an institution like the BRICS bank have a currency to finance trade relations between Brazil and China, between Brazil and all the other BRICS countries? Who decided that the dollar was the (trade) currency after the end of gold parity?”
In the lead up to the 2023 BRICS Summit, there was speculation that an announcement of such a currency could be on the table. This proved to be wishful thinking, however.
"The development of anything alternative is more a medium to long term ambition. There is no suggestion right now to creates a BRICS currency," Leslie Maasdorp, CFO of the New Development Bank, told Bloomberg at the time. The bank represents the BRICS bloc.
Government officials in Brazil, which took the rotating presidency of the BRICS group for 2025, have said there are no plans to take any significant steps toward a BRICS currency. However, measures to reduce the reliance on the US dollar are very much on the table with cross-border payment systems, including exploring blockchain technology, a major theme at the 2025 BRICS summit, reported Reuters.
As for 2026, the BRICS Summit will be held in India, which earlier this year distanced itself from the idea of a move away from the US dollar.
Speaking at an event in London in March 2025, India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar stated, "I don't think there's any policy on our part to replace the dollar. The dollar as the reserve currency is the source of global economic stability, and right now what we want in the world is more economic stability, not less. I don't think there's a unified BRICS position on this. I think BRICS members, and now that we have more members, have very diverse positions on this matter."
Which nations are members of BRICS?
As of 2025, there are 10 BRICS member nations: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
The group was originally composed of the four nations Brazil, Russia, India and China and named BRIC, which it changed to BRICS when South Africa joined in 2010.
At the 2023 BRICS Summit, six countries were invited to become BRICS members: Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). All but Argentina and Saudi Arabia officially joined the alliance in January 2024, and in 2025, Indonesia became the 10th full member of BRICS.
Additionally, at the 2024 BRICS Summit, 13 nations signed on as BRICS partner countries, which are not yet full-fledged members: Algeria, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, Vietnam and Uzbekistan.
The expanded group of 10 full member countries is sometimes referred to as BRICS+, although BRICS's name hasn't officially changed.
What would the advantages of a BRICS currency be?
A new currency could have several benefits for the BRICS countries, including more efficient cross-border transactions and increased financial inclusion. By leveraging blockchain technology, digital currencies and smart contracts, the currency could revolutionize the global financial system. Thanks to seamless cross-border payments, it could also promote trade and economic integration among the BRICS nations and beyond.
A new BRICS currency would also:
- Strengthen economic integration within the BRICS countries
- Reduce the influence of the US on the global stage
- Weaken the standing of the US dollar as a global reserve currency
- Encourage other countries to form alliances to develop regional currencies
- Mitigate risks associated with global volatility due to unilateral measures and the diminution of dollar dependence
What is Donald Trump's stance on a BRICS currency?
US President Donald Trump has not been shy about upping the ante on American protectionism with his plans to slap tariffs on imported goods beginning this year. During the first US Presidential Debate between him and Vice President Kamala Harris on September 10 last year, Trump doubled down on his pledge to punish BRICS nations with strict tariffs if they seek to move away from the US dollar as the global currency.
He originally took a particularly strong stance against China, threatening to implement 60 percent to 100 percent tariffs on Chinese imports, although these hefty tariffs would be paid by American companies and consumers purchasing Chinese products, not by China itself.
In early December, Trump posted an even more direct threat to BRICS nations on the social media platform Truth Social. “We require a commitment from these countries that they will neither create a new Brics currency nor back any other currency to replace the mighty US dollar or they will face 100% tariffs and should expect to say goodbye to selling into the wonderful US economy,” he wrote.
In response to Trump demanding a "commitment" from BRICS nations not to challenge the supremacy of the US dollar, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov sounded less than threatened.
"More and more countries are switching to the use of national currencies in their trade and foreign economic activities," Peskov said, per Reuters. "If the U.S. uses force, as they say economic force, to compel countries to use the dollar it will further strengthen the trend of switching to national currencies (in international trade)."
How will Trump's tariffs affect BRICS nations?
If US President Donald Trump were to come through on his promise to enact 100 percent tariffs on BRICS nations the outcome could prove costly for all parties involved. “The action would result in slower growth and higher inflation than otherwise in the US and most of the targeted economies,” according to analysis by the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
Of all the BRICS member nations, China would likely experience the worst slowing of its GDP growth as the United States is its largest trading partner. One silver lining for China is that its disciplined central bank will help to save it from accelerated inflation.
Trump’s 50 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum imports set on June 3, 2025, will impact Brazil and China as well as the UAE. Brazil ranks in the top three sources for US steel imports, while China and the UAE represent significant sources of US aluminum imports.
In late July, Brazil was also saddled with a 50 percent tariff on a broader range of goods, which US President Donald Trump inflicted on the nation in response to the trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro for his alleged coup attempt.
Trump’s tariffs could have a significant impact on Brazil’s economy, the largest in Latin America. However, most of the key trading sectors between the two nations are exempt from the tariff, including “civil aircraft, pig iron, precious metals, wood pulp, energy and fertilizers,” states Reuters.
India is another BRICS nation facing 50 percent tariffs. The sectors targeted span from textiles, garments and footwear to food, leather goods, gems and automobiles. Key industries such as pharmaceuticals and computer chips.
One of the major sticking points for the Trump administration is India continuing to purchase Russian oil. India and China represent the two largest buyers of Russian oil; however, the US has yet to punish China for purchasing oil from the Russian Federation.
Although China represents the United States’ biggest economic rival on the global stage, Trump hit the pause button on the escalating tariff war between the two nations until November 10, 2025. In the meantime, the US's 30 percent tariff on Chinese goods remains in place. Negotiations are underway, including on a proposed 245 percent tariff on Chinese electric vehicle imports.
In July, the Trump Administration imposed 30 percent tariffs on South Africa, the United States’ second biggest trading partner. The African nation's agriculture, mining and manufacturing sector are at significant risk from the tariffs, but there are exceptions in place for “copper, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, some critical minerals, stainless steel scrap and energy products,” reports the BBC.
How are BRICS nations responding to US Tariffs?
Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva convened an online BRICS summit on September 8, 2025, to address the threat of US trade policies and tariffs to member nations.
“Tariff blackmail is being normalized as an instrument to seize markets and interfere in domestic affairs,” stated President Lula, according to a prepared statement from the Brazilian government, Bloomberg reported. “Our countries have become victims of unjustified and illegal trade practices.”
Both Lula and China President Xi Jinping called upon their BRICS peers to stand together and push back against unfair trade practices, and strengthen trade and cooperation between member nations.
However, the South China Morning Post reports that summit attendees fell short of directly criticizing US President Donald Trump in a bid not to further stoke his ire. That may also be why most BRICS members are trying to negotiate with the US rather than fight back with retaliatory tariffs.
Critics have suggested Trump’s tariffs are having the undesirable effect of driving major trading partners like Brazil, India and South Africa further into the arms of US rivals China and Russia.
While currently only 9 percent of China’s exports are to other BRICS members, according to Reuters, trade between China and Russia reached a record US$244.8 billion in 2024. In addition, China is Brazil’s largest trading partner, importing 70 percent of its soybeans from the Latin American country. In fact, 28 percent of Brazil’s total exports go to China and 24 percent of its imports are from China.
Trade relations between the BRICS nations may grow stronger as they seek to mitigate the economic impact of US tariffs.
How would a new BRICS currency affect the US dollar?
RomanR / Shutterstock
For decades, the US dollar has enjoyed unparalleled dominance as the world's leading reserve currency. According to the US Federal Reserve, between 1999 and 2019, the dollar was used in 96 percent of international trade invoicing in the Americas, 74 percent in the Asia-Pacific region and 79 percent in the rest of the world.
According to the Atlantic Council, the US dollar is used in approximately 88 percent of currency exchanges, and 59 percent of all foreign currency reserves held by central banks. Due to its status as the most widely used currency for conversion and its use as a benchmark in the forex market, almost all central banks worldwide hold dollars. Additionally, the dollar is used for the vast majority of oil trades.
Although the dollar's reserve currency share has decreased as the euro and yen have gained popularity, the dollar is still the most widely used reserve currency, followed by the euro, the yen, the pound and the yuan.
The potential impact of a new BRICS currency on the US dollar remains uncertain, with experts debating its potential to challenge the dollar's dominance. However, if a new BRICS currency was to stabilize against the dollar, it could weaken the power of US sanctions, leading to a further decline in the dollar's value. It could also cause an economic crisis affecting American households. Aside from that, this new currency could accelerate the trend toward de-dollarization.
Nations worldwide are seeking alternatives to the US dollar, with examples being China and Russia trading in their own currencies, and countries like India, Kenya and Malaysia advocating for de-dollarization or signing agreements with other nations to trade in local currencies or alternative benchmarks.
While it is unclear whether a new BRICS currency would inspire the creation of other US dollar alternatives, the possibility of challenging the dollar's dominance as a reserve currency remains. And as countries continue to diversify their reserve holdings, the US dollar could face increasing competition from emerging currencies, potentially altering the balance of power in global markets.
However, a study by the Atlantic Council's GeoEconomics Center released in June 2024 shows that the US dollar is far from being dethroned as the world's primary reserve currency.
"The group's 'Dollar Dominance Monitor' said the dollar continued to dominate foreign reserve holdings, trade invoicing, and currency transactions globally and its role as the primary global reserve currency was secure in the near and medium term," Reuters reported.
Warwick J. McKibbin and Marcus Noland of the Peterson Institute for International Economics agree with this sentiment, writing in their analysis of the impacts of US tariffs on BRICS nations that "the BRICS pose no serious threat to the dollar’s dominance."
Ultimately, the impact of a new BRICS currency on the US dollar will depend on its adoption, its perceived stability and the extent to which it can offer a viable alternative to the dollar's longstanding hegemony.
Will BRICS have a digital currency?
BRICS nations do not as of yet have their own specific digital currency, but a BRICS blockchain-based payment system is in the works, according to Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov in March 2024. Known as the BRICS Bridge multisided payment platform, it would connect member states' financial systems using payment gateways for settlements in central bank digital currencies.
The planned system would serve as an alternative to the current international cross-border payment platform, the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) system, which is dominated by US dollars.
“We believe that creating an independent BRICS payment system is an important goal for the future, which would be based on state-of-the-art tools such as digital technologies and blockchain. The main thing is to make sure it is convenient for governments, common people and businesses, as well as cost-effective and free of politics,” Ushakov said in an interview with Russian news agency TASS.
Another dollar-alternative digital currency cross-border payment system in the works is Project mBridge, under development via a collaboration between the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the Bank of Thailand, the Digital Currency Institute of the People's Bank of China and the Central Bank of the UAE. Saudi Arabia has also recently decided to join the project. The central bank digital currencies traded on the platform would be backed by gold and local currencies minted in member nations.
In June 2024, Forbes reported that the mBridge platform had reached a significant milestone by completing its minimal viable product stage (MVP). The MVP platform can undertake real-value transactions (subject to jurisdictional preparedness) and is compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), a decentralized virtual environment that executes code consistently and securely across all Ethereum nodes," stated the publication. "MVP thus is suitable as a testbed for new use cases and interoperability with other platforms."
In a recent interview with the Investing News Network, Andy Schectman, president of Miles Franklin, explained how Project mBridge relates to the BRICS Unit.
Watch the full interview with Schectman.
"(New Development Bank President Dilma Rousseff) came out and publicly said that there has been an agreement in principle to use a new settlement currency called the Unit, which will be backed 40 percent by gold and 60 percent by the local currencies in the BRICS union — the BRICS+ countries. That gold will be in the form of kilo bars and will be deliverable or redeemable for those entities," Schectman said.
"The basket of gold and the basket of currencies will be minted in the member countries ... it will be put into an escrow account, taken off the ledger so to speak — off of their balance sheet and put onto the mBridge ledger, and held in an escrow account in their own borders. It doesn't need to be sent to a central authority."
How would a BRICS currency impact the economy?
A potential shift toward a new BRICS currency could have significant implications for the North American economy and investors operating within it. Some of the most affected sectors and industries would include:
- Oil and gas
- Banking and finance
- Commodities
- International trade
- Technology
- Tourism and travel
- The foreign exchange market
A new BRICS currency would also introduce new trading pairs, alter currency correlations and increase market volatility, requiring investors to adapt their strategies accordingly.
How can investors prepare for a new BRICS currency?
Adjusting a portfolio in response to emerging BRICS currency trends may be a challenge for investors. While it does not currently seem like a BRICS currency is on the immediate horizon, Trump's aggressive trade tactics have pushed allies away from the US, making diversification important.
Several strategies can be adopted to capitalize on these trends and diversify your portfolio:
- Diversify currency exposure by investing in assets such as bonds, mutual funds exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that are denominated in currencies other than the US dollar.
- Gain exposure to BRICS equity markets through stocks and ETFs that track BRICS market indexes.
- Invest a portion of your portfolio in precious metals gold and silver as a hedge against currency risk.
- Consider alternative investments such as real estate or private equity in the BRICS countries.
Prudent investors will also weigh these strategies against their exposure to market, political and currency fluctuations.
In terms of investment vehicles, investors could consider ETFs such as the iShares MSCI BIC ETF (ARCA:BKF) or the Pacer Emerging Markets Cash COW 100 ETF (NASDAQ:ECOW). They could also invest in mutual funds such as the T. Rowe Price Emerging Markets Equity Fund, or in individual companies within the BRICS countries.
Simply put, preparing for a new BRICS currency or potential de-dollarization requires careful research and due diligence by investors. Diversifying currency exposure, and investing in commodities, equity markets or alternative investments are possible options to consider while being mindful of the associated risks.
Investor takeaway
While it is not certain whether the creation of a BRICS reserve currency will come to pass, its emergence would pose significant implications for the global economy and potentially challenge the US dollar's dominance as the primary reserve currency. This development would present unique investment opportunities, while introducing risks to existing investments as the shifting landscape alters monetary policy and exacerbates geopolitical tensions.
For those reasons, investors should closely monitor the progress of a possible BRICS currency. And, if the bloc does eventually create one, it will be important watch the currency's impact on BRICS member economies and the broader global market. Staying vigilant will help investors to capitalize on growth prospects and hedge against potential risks.
FAQs for a new BRICS currency
Is a BRICS currency possible?
Some financial analysts point to the creation of the euro in 1999 as proof that a BRICS currency may be possible. However, this would require years of preparation, the establishment of a new central bank and an agreement between the five nations to phase out their own sovereign currencies; it would most likely also need the support of the International Monetary Fund to be successful internationally.
The impact of its war on Ukraine will continue to weaken Russia's economy and the value of the ruble, and China is intent on raising the power of the yuan internationally. There is also a wide chasm of economic disparity between China and other BRICS nations. These are no small obstacles to overcome.
Would a new BRICS currency be backed by gold?
While Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested hard assets such as gold or oil, a new BRICS currency would likely be backed by a basket of the bloc's currencies. However, this basket could potentially contain gold as well, as Andy Schectman explained to INN.
Additionally, speaking at this year's New Orleans Investment Conference, well-known author Jim Rickards gave a detailed talk on how a gold-backed BRICS currency could work. He suggested that if a BRICS currency unit is worth 1 ounce of gold and the gold price goes to US$3,000 per ounce, the BRICS currency unit would be worth US$3,000, while the dollar would lose value compared to the BRICS currency as measured by the weight of gold.
Importantly though, he doesn't see this as a new gold standard, or the end of the US dollar or the euro.
“(With) a real gold standard, you can take the currency and go to any one of the central banks and get some gold,” Rickards said at the event. “With BRICS they don’t have to own any gold, they don’t have to buy any gold, they don’t have to prop up the price. They can just rise on the dollar gold market."
How much gold do the BRICS nations have?
The combined central bank gold holdings of the original BRICS nations plus Egypt (the only nation of the five new additions to have central bank gold reserves) accounts for more than 20 percent of all the gold held in the world's central banks. Russia, India and China rank in the top 10 for central bank gold holdings.
Russia controls 2,335.85 metric tons (MT) of the yellow metal, making it the fifth largest for central bank gold reserves. China follows in the sixth spot with 2,298.53 MT of gold and India places eighth with 879.98 MT. Brazil and South Africa's central bank gold holdings are much smaller, coming in at 129.65 MT and 125.47 MT, respectively. New BRICS member Egypt's gold holdings are equally small, at 128.54 MT.
This is an updated version of an article originally published by the Investing News Network in 2023.
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Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Editorial Disclosure: The Investing News Network does not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the information reported in the interviews it conducts. The opinions expressed in these interviews do not reflect the opinions of the Investing News Network and do not constitute investment advice. All readers are encouraged to perform their own due diligence.
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