BRICS countries sign agreement to extend credit facility in local currencies

30 Mar 2012 Evaluate

A significant outcome of the fourth BRICS summit that concluded in New Delhi on March 29, has been the agreement on extending credit facility in local currencies. Leaders of these five rapidly emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa have also agreed to examine in greater detail a proposal to set up a South-South Development Bank, funded and managed by the BRICS and other developing countries.

In a move to provide substance to the agreements, the government-owned banks from all the five countries, have agreed to extend credit to each other in their local currencies, as well as allow for multilateral letters of credit. The move is expected to help boost intra-regional trade from $212 billion to the target of $500 billion by 2015. It will also help reduce the demand for fully convertible currencies for trade transactions among the BRICS countries.

The leaders have called for greater co-operation amongst the countries to increase capacity and create a favourable business environment, in terms of greater market access in each other’s countries. The Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh has highlighted the need to prioritize easier business visa norms and remove barriers to trade and investment flows by avoiding protectionist measures.

The BRICS countries have also expressed concern over the slow pace of quota and governance reforms in the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The leaders were of the opinion that the process of selecting candidates for the top posts in the World Bank or the IMF should be open and merit-based. Moreover, the nature of the Bank must shift from an institution that essentially mediates North-South cooperation to an institution that promotes equal partnership with all countries. 

The leaders also felt that the volatility in commodity prices posed risks, especially in food and energy. They have called for improved regulation of the derivatives market to avoid destabilizing impacts on food and energy supplies. The leaders also agreed to make the UN Security Council more effective, efficient and representative. They also felt that the situation in Iran should be resolved through dialogue and should not be allowed to escalate into a full-fledged conflict.

The acronym BRICS has come to become a symbol of the shift in global economic power away from the developed G7 economies towards the developing world. Currently the five nations account for nearly 28% of the global economy. The BRICS nations are absolutely diverse in their economies and political system. The coming together has been motivated by the need to increase their trade links and decrease dependency on Europe and the United States. It is estimated that BRIC economies will overtake G7 economies by 2027.

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