Finance
The Rio Reset: Inside the BRICS Scheme to Hotwire the Global Economy
Image CC-BY-2.0 from Michel Temer/Wikimedia on Flickr
Image CC-BY-2.0 from Michel Temer/Wikimedia on Flickr
BGG - Key Takeaway
Key takeaways
- This summer’s BRICS summit in Rio isn’t just another meeting – it’s the culmination of a decade-long plan to bypass the U.S. dollar.
- What BRICS is building is not a currency. It’s a new financial operating system completely independent of Western banks, rules and permissions
- Gold is quietly reclaiming its role as the world’s trust anchor (not in headlines – but in the background)
- The Rio Reset isn’t a confrontation or a showdown; it’s a quiet rejection of America’s dominant role in the global financial system
- Every international transaction is also a vote, and it’s not clear who’s winning
BGG - Table of Contents
Table of Contents
The warning signs were there (but most people missed them)
In August 2023, all eyes were on Durban, South Africa when the leaders of the BRICS alliance met behind closed doors. A few weeks before, Russia’s top diplomat Sergey Lavrov made global headlines claiming the BRICS alliance was close to launching a “gold-backed currency.”
Their intentions were clear: First to challenge, then to replace, the U.S. dollar.
It was a bold claim – and for everyone who understood the role the dollar plays in the global financial system, it was a truly frightening moment. It would be an exaggeration to say the world held its breath – but I don’t mind telling you, I certainly held mine!
The meeting came and went. BRICS held press conferences and announced new committees…
But the gold-backed international BRICS currency never materialized.
Ever since, we’ve been wondering what happened. Did Lavrov overplay his hand? Was the foreign minister (or perhaps Putin himself) simply trolling the Biden administration?
The election of President Trump seemed to put the final nail in the coffin. He swore instant, punitive sanctions on any countries that replaced the dollar in their global transactions.
Trump understands that dollar dominance is a matter of national security. And he understands the consequences of losing – “If we lost the dollar as the world currency, I think that would be the equivalent of losing a war,” he told The Economic Club of New York in September 2024.
The shared BRICS currency experiment was dead even before arrival.
Or was it?
I’ve always had my doubts and my suspicions. As a result, over the last few weeks, I’ve called in every favor. Cashed in every chip I have with the movers and shakers in Washington D.C. Consulted analysts and insiders on three continents (trust me, it wasn’t cheap!) – and I think I finally understand what happened.
In hindsight, the real story wasn’t what Lavrov or any of the other BRICS officials announced – it was what they didn’t say.
At the Rio Reset in July, BRICS will reveal their real plan
Back in 2023, BRICS never revealed their real plan. The threat of an international, gold-backed BRICSbuck was a brilliant distraction. The mainstream media laughed it off. The alternative media engaged in doom-mongering.
And BRICS members quietly pressed ahead with something far more ambitious:
A complete, parallel global financial system – a new, 21st century Bretton-Woods – designed to bypass the dollar completely.
What Lavrov called a “currency” was just a decoy. A distraction meant to keep us focused in the wrong direction.
This summer, July 6-7, 2025, BRICS leaders are meeting again in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I want you to join me in watching this meeting closely. Because I expect truly astonishing news. An event truly worthy of the name Rio Reset.
But not for a new currency announcement! Let me explain why I think this is just a distraction...
When I say “money” or “currency,” what do you think of?
Most people think of something like this:
Or this:
These are all examples of currencies. We're all familiar with currency, because we use it every day. Currency is the most visible part of the global financial system.
Compared to the scale of the global financial system, though?
Any single currency (even all currencies!) are just the tip of the iceberg…
The true scope of the Rio Reset is staggering
This is what our global financial system looks like:
That chart is not deliberately confusing, by the way. This really is what the global financial system looks like. Key institutions, clearing and settlement systems, domestic and international institutions, compliance and regulatory agencies – and that’s just the organizations. Each of them has its own set of compliance requirements, regulations, procedures and regulatory body at both the national and international levels.
Now, it would be silly to pretend that this entire post-World War II, Bretton-Woods global financial system was all carefully planned and painstakingly executed. Parts of it were – and the rest developed over time.
THAT is what BRICS have been working on!
What the Rio Reset really means
The term Rio Reset may be new – but the underlying idea is not.
This is the culmination of everything BRICS nations have worked toward since the Great Financial Crisis of 2008.1
Their goal? To insulate themselves from dollar devaluation, dollar weaponization and the financial instabilities inherent in the dollar-based global financial system.
In the days and weeks leading up to the BRICS 2025 summit in Rio de Janeiro, I’ll share the insights collected from all my research. You know me – I’m going to tell you every detail. I’m not going to tell you how we can stop this summer's Rio Reset (we can’t).
I’m not going to tell the Trump administration what to do about it (because frankly, I don’t know).
I’m going to stick to the facts. All updates will appear first, on the Birch Gold website under the tag “Rio Reset” and I’ll make sure to share on social media with #rioreset as well. We've also set up a dedicated website at www.rioreset.com to share even more information.
By the time we hear the official announcements from Rio de Janeiro in July, you will understand just how meaningless they are. Better still, you’ll know what to watch for.
They fooled us once – shame on them. We won’t let BRICS fool us again.
Updates on The Rio Reset
Here's part 2 of my Rio Reset series.
A few people are starting to pick up on this...
First, we have legendary alternative economist Brandon Smith's take on how the Trade War Makes Brics Rio Reset De-dollarization Agenda More Urgent.
I'd just like to point out that Brandon's not wrong. Between the five-year collapse in China's home prices, the millions forced to camp out in their unfinished homes and the 20% unemployment rate caused in part by export factory shut-downs, China's economy is on the brink of collapse. It's so bad that, as the WSJ reported recently, the CCP began censoring virtually all economic data. China may be relying on The Rio Reset this summer to rejuvenate its flagging economy. Otherwise, 1.475 billion citizens suffering 20% unemployment turns into the world's largest army of nearly 300 million angry, jobless and homeless foot soldiers who have absolutely nothing to lose.
This Rio Reset article rapidly took over the internet... This post was picked up by Morningstar, Yahoo Finance, ZeroHedge, The Epoch Times, Breitbart, Free Republic and dozens of smaller finance and economic news outlets. Along with, to my surprise, quite a few cryptocurrency news platforms. (I believe it's gotten more attention than anything I've written before.)
Phillip Patrick took time out from his busy schedule of interviews to address the connection between The Rio Reset and the End of Dollar Privilege. It's well worth your time.
Our partner Dr. Ron Paul gave us his thoughts on the financial forces that make The Rio Reset inevitable in his essay Gold Never Settles (But It Should).
Here's a brief, teaser video on The Rio Reset I stumbled across recently:
A recent episode of The Blockchain Economy took a closer look at how The Rio Reset is likely to change the financial landscape:
The Rio Reset is on Megyn Kelly's mind...
Meantime, Phillip Patrick and I are working on a plan to get you an even deeper look at The Rio Reset in the weeks ahead.
How to keep up with the latest on The Rio Reset
Folks, right now I've got my hands full. Background research with publicly-available data, a dozen active Signal chats (and the occasional face-to-face meeting with a source). More updates to follow as soon as I get all this information organized and fact-checked.
In the meantime, my fantastic team's taking up my slack. Be on the lookout for frequent posts on Facebook and what we used to call Twitter. If you prefer your news in video format, consider subscribing to the Birch Gold Group YouTube channel.
One last thing: If you haven't signed up for the Birch Gold newsletter, please take a moment and do so right now. That way you won't miss further developments.
BGG - About the Author
About Peter Reagan
Peter Reagan has covered precious metals and the economy for Birch Gold Group for over 15 years. His articles have been featured in several leading publications, including Newsmax and Zerohedge. At Birch Gold Group, Peter leverages his deep market insights to help educate website visitors and customers on why they should consider diversifying their savings into gold and other precious metals, and how that process works. Due to this commitment to education, his content has become a trusted source of information throughout the industry.
BGG - About the Reviewer
About the reviewer Phillip Patrick
Phillip Patrick is a Precious Metals Specialist and spokesman for Birch Gold Group. Born in London, he earned a degree in politics and international relations from the University of Redding, and began his career as a wealth manager at Citigroup in London’s financial center. Since joining Birch Gold in 2012, Phillip has become a trusted voice on economic policy and precious metals, appearing as a guest on dozens of television and podcast platforms, including Newsmax, The Ben Shapiro Show, The Megyn Kelly Show, and Stephen K. Bannon’s War Room. In addition to his contributions on Birch Gold Group's blog, you can watch his interviews on Rumble and follow him on Gettr.
Sources
- “Will the BRICS Launch a New Currency?” https://investingnews.com/brics-currency/
BGG - CTA Option 2
