‘Bye-bye US dollar’: Robert Kiyosaki sounds alarm amid renewed BRICS ‘gold-backed’ currency hype
Speculation surged in late 2024 when Russian President Vladimir Putin was photographed holding a prototype “BRICS banknote” during the Kazan Summit, fueling rumours of an impending launch. BRICS officials later clarified that the note was merely symbolic and not indicative of any imminent currency introduction.
- Dec 6, 2025,
- Updated Dec 6, 2025 4:25 PM IST
American investor and Rich Dad Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki has doubled down on his long-standing warnings about the future of the US dollar, urging investors to shift towards cryptocurrencies and precious metals amid growing global chatter about alternative financial systems.
Posting on X (formally twitter), Kiyosaki claimed that BRICS nations had announced a “gold-backed” currency —
referred to as the UNIT — and cautioned followers about the risk of “hyperinflation” eroding the value of the US dollar.
“BRICS: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa announces the ‘Unit’ — a gold-backed ‘money’. Bye-bye US dollar!... My forecast is that savers of the US dollar will be the biggest losers,” he wrote. Calling gold, silver, Bitcoin, and Ether the best hedge against looming instability, he warned that dollar-holders could be “wiped out.”
A claim without a currency — yet
Despite Kiyosaki’s assertions, no BRICS member state has officially launched a gold-backed currency, and senior officials have repeatedly clarified that no such rollout is expected in the immediate future.
What does exist is ongoing research and political discussion around developing a gold-linked payment mechanism — sometimes informally called the UNIT — intended to facilitate trade outside the dollar-dominated system. The idea aims to leverage the BRICS nations’ vast gold reserves and reduce exposure to geopolitical risk.
However, significant obstacles remain, including liquidity, cross-border coordination, and the complexity of designing a unified mechanism across vastly different economies.
Past prototypes, present caution
Speculation surged in late 2024 when Russian President Vladimir Putin was photographed holding a prototype “BRICS banknote” during the Kazan Summit, fueling rumours of an impending launch. BRICS officials later clarified that the note was merely symbolic and not indicative of any imminent currency introduction.
At the 2024 BRICS Summit, Putin said the goal was not to reject the dollar outright but to counter its “weaponization.” The priority, he emphasized, was to build alternative pathways — such as local currency settlements and non-SWIFT payment networks — so member nations were not vulnerable to unilateral restrictions.
“We are not refusing, not fighting the dollar, but if they don't let us work with it, what can we do? We then have to look for other alternatives,” Putin stated.
‘No need for haste,’ says Putin
In a later interview with India Today, Putin stressed prudence, warning that rushing into a common currency could lead to "serious mistakes." Citing the European Union’s introduction of the euro, he said several countries were “economically unprepared,” resulting in strain within the Eurozone.
His remarks came even as he held high-level meetings with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi this week, drawing global attention to evolving financial and geopolitical alignments within the BRICS bloc.
Kiyosaki’s predictably bullish playbook
Kiyosaki has long advocated investing in gold, silver, and major cryptocurrencies, frequently forecasting severe downturns in the US financial system. In recent months he has repeatedly called silver “the best and the safest” option and framed crypto assets as essential stores of value amid global monetary uncertainty.
While his latest warning aligns with his previous messaging, analysts note that Kiyosaki’s claims often outpace geopolitical realities, especially in the complex, slow-moving arena of global monetary reform.
American investor and Rich Dad Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki has doubled down on his long-standing warnings about the future of the US dollar, urging investors to shift towards cryptocurrencies and precious metals amid growing global chatter about alternative financial systems.
Posting on X (formally twitter), Kiyosaki claimed that BRICS nations had announced a “gold-backed” currency —
referred to as the UNIT — and cautioned followers about the risk of “hyperinflation” eroding the value of the US dollar.
“BRICS: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa announces the ‘Unit’ — a gold-backed ‘money’. Bye-bye US dollar!... My forecast is that savers of the US dollar will be the biggest losers,” he wrote. Calling gold, silver, Bitcoin, and Ether the best hedge against looming instability, he warned that dollar-holders could be “wiped out.”
A claim without a currency — yet
Despite Kiyosaki’s assertions, no BRICS member state has officially launched a gold-backed currency, and senior officials have repeatedly clarified that no such rollout is expected in the immediate future.
What does exist is ongoing research and political discussion around developing a gold-linked payment mechanism — sometimes informally called the UNIT — intended to facilitate trade outside the dollar-dominated system. The idea aims to leverage the BRICS nations’ vast gold reserves and reduce exposure to geopolitical risk.
However, significant obstacles remain, including liquidity, cross-border coordination, and the complexity of designing a unified mechanism across vastly different economies.
Past prototypes, present caution
Speculation surged in late 2024 when Russian President Vladimir Putin was photographed holding a prototype “BRICS banknote” during the Kazan Summit, fueling rumours of an impending launch. BRICS officials later clarified that the note was merely symbolic and not indicative of any imminent currency introduction.
At the 2024 BRICS Summit, Putin said the goal was not to reject the dollar outright but to counter its “weaponization.” The priority, he emphasized, was to build alternative pathways — such as local currency settlements and non-SWIFT payment networks — so member nations were not vulnerable to unilateral restrictions.
“We are not refusing, not fighting the dollar, but if they don't let us work with it, what can we do? We then have to look for other alternatives,” Putin stated.
‘No need for haste,’ says Putin
In a later interview with India Today, Putin stressed prudence, warning that rushing into a common currency could lead to "serious mistakes." Citing the European Union’s introduction of the euro, he said several countries were “economically unprepared,” resulting in strain within the Eurozone.
His remarks came even as he held high-level meetings with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi this week, drawing global attention to evolving financial and geopolitical alignments within the BRICS bloc.
Kiyosaki’s predictably bullish playbook
Kiyosaki has long advocated investing in gold, silver, and major cryptocurrencies, frequently forecasting severe downturns in the US financial system. In recent months he has repeatedly called silver “the best and the safest” option and framed crypto assets as essential stores of value amid global monetary uncertainty.
While his latest warning aligns with his previous messaging, analysts note that Kiyosaki’s claims often outpace geopolitical realities, especially in the complex, slow-moving arena of global monetary reform.