India Pushes BRICS to Link Digital Currencies for Trade

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India Pushes BRICS to Link Digital Currencies for Easier Trade

Written by Aaron S.,

Editor-In-Chief

Last Updated: January 19, 2026

Key Takeaways

India’s RBI wants BRICS nations to link their digital currencies to simplify trade and tourism payments across borders;
The plan will be discussed at the 2026 BRICS summit and could mark the group’s first formal talks on CBDC cooperation;
The proposal aims to make transfers faster and cheaper while India continues expanding the e-rupee’s international use.

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India Pushes BRICS to Link Digital Currencies for Easier Trade

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India’s central bank has suggested that BRICS countries connect their digital currencies to make cross-border trade and travel payments easier.

A Reuters report stated that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) wants the idea of linking central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) added to the agenda for the 2026 BRICS summit, which India will host.

If the plan is accepted by the Indian government and other BRICS members, Brazil, Russia, China, and South Africa, it would be the first time the group formally discusses how their digital currencies could work together.

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The report said that the talks are still in the early stages. Countries would need to agree on how the technology, rules, and payment systems would operate.

Connecting CBDCs could make international transfers faster and cheaper, though it would not mean creating a single shared currency.

The idea builds on discussions at the 2025 BRICS summit in Brazil, where members expressed interest in improving trade and tourism payment systems.

For India, the proposal fits with its efforts to expand the use of its digital rupee, known as the e-rupee, in international transactions. The RBI has said that its main goal is to improve efficiency and adoption rather than to move away from the US dollar.

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