The BRICS currency launch date remains on track for 2026, and this is despite Trump’s latest attempt to derail it. On October 10, Trump announced a 100% tariff on Chinese goods starting November 1, and this represents another escalation in US efforts to stop the BRICS currency. Right now, and at the time of writing, the question of when will BRICS currency be launched points to 2026 as the currency progress accelerates with digital payment systems expanding across member nations. Trump’s aggressive tariffs haven’t slowed development, and analysts from UltimaMarkets confirm the BRICS currency launch date is holding firm despite these US attempts to stop BRICS currency plans.
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BRICS Currency Progress Advances Despite US Stop Attempts And 2026 Plans
Trump Escalates Tariff Strategy Against Currency Plans
Trump just announced his latest weapon against the BRICS currency launch date, and the timing is significant. Here’s what the US just tried to stop the BRICS currency: a 100% tariff on all Chinese goods announced October 10, set to hit in just weeks on November 1. This came after Trump threatened 10% tariffs on any nation backing BRICS “anti-American policies” during the July 2025 Rio summit, and these tariffs have been escalating ever since. By September 2025, US tariff rates had already jumped to 17.9%—the highest in over a century—and the government is now pulling in over $30 billion monthly compared to under $10 billion in 2024.
Chinese officials fired back immediately, and they called it “a typical example of US double standards” and warned of unspecified “countermeasures” that could come at any moment.
Trump stated:
“We urge these countries to abandon the idea of creating a rival currency or agreeing on an alternative to the dollar. Otherwise, they will face 100% tariffs, completely losing access to America’s unrivaled economic markets.“
Digital Systems Push Forward Despite US Pressure
Despite claims that the BRICS currency stopped, member nations are moving faster than ever toward the BRICS currency 2026 target, and the momentum is building. Russia and China are settling energy deals in rubles and yuan right now, and India has been paying for Russian oil since 2023 using yuan, rubles, and also UAE dirhams. BRICS Pay and BRICS Bridge are being developed as SWIFT alternatives, and these systems are seen as critical to the BRICS currency launch date timeline.
The bloc just expanded, adding Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE, and Indonesia. BRICS now controls a quarter of the global economy and almost half the world’s population—and more nations are lining up to join, which adds even more pressure on the US to stop BRICS currency development.
Alicia Garcia-Herrero, senior fellow at Brussels-based think tank Bruegel, explained why Trump’s tactics to stop the BRICS currency might backfire:
“Trump has a reason to worry. The BRICS is very clearly anti-Western. Part of its mantra is to change the global order.“
Legal Challenges Threaten Trump’s Approach
Time runs out for Trump’s strategy to stop the BRICS currency, and legal battles close in. On August 29, 2025, the US Court of Appeals ruled 7-4 that Trump exceeded his authority under IEEPA, and the court allowed the tariffs to stay operational only until October 14, 2025. The Supreme Court hears arguments next month in November 2025, and if Trump loses, the decision could strip his tariff powers and open the path to the BRICS currency launch date.
Garcia-Herrero also noted the internal tensions:
“India, together with Brazil, is trying to balance the anti-Western messaging from BRICS, which is dominated by China and Russia.“
But here’s an important point, and this matters: out of $33 trillion in global trade in 2024, intra-BRICS trade was just 3%. The US dollar still dominates 90% of global transactions right now, and this dominance isn’t going away overnight.
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Why 2026 Timeline Remains on Track
China’s digital yuan project is racing forward toward the BRICS currency 2026 deadline, and it’s targeting emerging markets with rollouts. The New Development Bank just hit $39 billion in approved loans. During their July summit—right when Trump was threatening them—BRICS leaders released a declaration criticizing unilateral sanctions and protectionist tariffs, and the message was clear.
The clock is ticking on both sides, and pressure mounts from all directions. Trump weaponizes the dollar and pushes BRICS nations to accelerate their currency progress, but legal challenges threaten to strip away his tariff powers within weeks. As tensions spike and the BRICS currency launch date of 2026 approaches, the question isn’t whether the BRICS currency stopped—it’s whether Trump’s attempts to halt it will backfire and accelerate the very development he wants to stop. The BRICS currency launch date holds unchanged, and at the time of writing, all signs point to 2026 as the year when alternatives to the dollar arrive.
