What Is BRICS+ (Geopolitics 101)

WHAT IS BRICS+: GEOPOLITICS 101

If you are paying attention to global markets, supply chains, or the future of energy, you need to understand BRICS+. It is no longer a diplomatic talking point; it is a major macroeconomic force fundamentally rewiring global trade.

Here is the unfiltered, straight-facts breakdown of what BRICS+ is, how it operates, and why it directly impacts your purchasing power, your pension, and your portfolio.

1. The Roster: Who is BRICS+?

Originally formed as an economic bloc, the founding members consisted of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

The "+" Expansion: The bloc has aggressively expanded to secure critical energy and strategic choke points. As of recent expansions through 2024 and 2025, official members now include major players like the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Indonesia. Furthermore, dozens of nations (including Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, and Nigeria) are formally aligned as strategic partners or hold pending invitations.

2. The Core Objective: Dismantling the Petrodollar

BRICS+ is not a formal military alliance like NATO, nor is it a strict economic union like the EU. It is a strategic coalition of emerging economies aiming to build a parallel global infrastructure. Their primary weapon is economic, and their main target is the absolute dominance of the US Dollar.

To understand why this matters, you have to understand the Petrodollar System. In 1974, the United States struck a deal with Saudi Arabia: the US would provide military protection, and in exchange, Saudi Arabia agreed to price and trade all of its oil exports exclusively in US Dollars. This system effectively forced every nation on earth to hold massive reserves of US Dollars just to buy the energy required to run their economies, granting the US unparalleled economic leverage and the ability to export its inflation.

BRICS+ was fundamentally built to dismantle this exact system.

Here is how they are actively executing the shift:

• Bypassing Western Financial Networks: Following the weaponization of the SWIFT banking system against Russia, BRICS+ nations have accelerated the development of alternative cross-border payment systems.
• Local Currency Settlement: Member nations are increasingly settling bilateral trade in their own currencies. We are no longer dealing in theory: China and the UAE have already completed massive trades of liquified natural gas (LNG) settled entirely in Chinese Yuan, completely bypassing the US Dollar.
• Project mBridge: Central banks within the BRICS network (including China and the UAE) are utilizing a multi-central bank digital currency platform called Project mBridge. This blockchain-based system has already processed tens of billions of dollars in real government payments and commodity trades in seconds, without ever touching a Western bank.
• Accumulating Hard Assets: To back these alternative financial systems, BRICS+ central banks have been aggressively hoarding physical gold at record paces, systematically reducing their reliance on US Treasury bonds.

3. The Resource Powerhouse

The influence of BRICS+ is grounded in hard assets. By expanding their membership, the bloc has effectively cornered a massive percentage of the commodities required to run the modern world.

• Oil & Gas: With the inclusion of Middle Eastern heavyweights and close ties to OPEC+, BRICS+ nations now control over 43% of global crude oil production and a massive share of natural gas reserves.
• Critical Minerals: China dominates the refining of rare earth elements (crucial for tech and defense). Meanwhile, Brazil, Russia, Indonesia, and African members hold vast, strategic deposits of gold, copper, nickel, lithium, and uranium.
• Economic Weight: The bloc now represents roughly 55% of the global population and over 40% of global GDP (adjusted for purchasing power), surpassing the G7 nations.

4. The Impact on North American Resources

If BRICS+ controls the global supply chain for critical inputs, what does that mean for North American markets?

For investors focused on the natural resource sector, specifically Canadian oil, gas, and mining, this geopolitical divide creates a distinct reality. As the global supply chain splits into two distinct blocs (East/BRICS+ vs. West/G7), Western nations are waking up to their immense vulnerability.

There is a rapidly growing mandate to secure domestic supply chains. Resources pulled from safe, North American jurisdictions are acquiring a geopolitical premium. Whether it is crude oil from the Alberta oil sands or copper and uranium from northern mining projects, North American hard assets are becoming critical matters of national security, not just economic commodities.

5. The Fireground Reality: Why This Matters to You

If you are pulling a 24-hour shift, global macroeconomics might seem entirely detached from the day-to-day grind. But the shifting global power dynamic directly impacts your wallet.

1. Inflation and Purchasing Power: As the US Dollar loses its absolute monopoly on global trade, its purchasing power diminishes. This translates directly to imported inflation. The cost of goods, groceries, and living expenses rises, meaning the purchasing power of your salary does not stretch as far as it did five years ago.
2. Pension Vulnerability: Standard institutional pension funds are typically heavily weighted in traditional Western equities and fiat-denominated bonds. If the global financial system fractures and inflation remains sticky, traditional 60/40 portfolio models will struggle to deliver the returns required to fund long-term retirements.
3. Defending Your Capital: In a multipolar world where the US Dollar is actively being challenged, wealth preservation requires adapting. Historically, the best defense against currency debasement and geopolitical friction is owning hard assets - things that cannot be printed. This underscores the strategic importance of allocating capital toward physical commodities, energy equities, precious metals, and the companies that pull them out of the ground.

The Bottom Line

BRICS+ represents a structural shift from a unipolar world to a multipolar one. It is the single biggest catalyst changing the rules of the board. Understanding this shift is the first step in positioning your investments to survive, and thrive, in the next decade of global finance.