Theme Geopolitics

The economic monopoly of the West now hangs by a thread, and it is no longer marginal theorists who say this, but the very architects of global finance. Twenty-five years after theorizing the emergence of the economic powers of the South, Lord Jim O’Neill presents an uncompromising assessment of the G7's inability to adapt to the new global landscape. As the international financial network fragments under the weight of sanctions and geopolitical tensions, this reassessment sounds like a major warning for the supremacy of the US dollar.

On Monday, July 13, 2026, a flash crash wiped out 2.5 trillion yuan in 15 minutes at the Shanghai Stock Exchange, pushing Beijing to offload its US Treasury bonds to save the yuan. Triggered by US strikes in Iran, this stock market crisis exposes the systemic vulnerability of traditional markets to energy shocks.

The British political scene is going through a new zone of turbulence following the announcement of Nigel Farage's resignation from his Clacton MP mandate. This decision comes as several revelations concern donations and gifts received from personalities linked to the crypto sector. The affair is accompanied by parliamentary investigations and revives questions about the ties between political leaders and digital finance. At the same time, the person concerned claims to have respected the law and wishes to let voters decide his political future in a by-election.

American strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities have brought geopolitical risk back to the heart of financial markets. In just a few hours, oil soared, investors turned to assets deemed safest, and cryptos once again revealed their sensitivity to international tensions. This resumption of hostilities raises a central question: facing a major military crisis, can bitcoin compete with traditional safe havens, or does it remain a risky asset like the others?

While Trump sells us the crypto cold war against the Chinese, his personal piggy bank soars, leaving his most loyal supporters in the lurch.

Anthropic turned Claude into a snitch to track down Chinese users. Alibaba fires back with a ban. The AI war invades the code, and developers are left holding the bag.

The global economic war has just crossed a critical threshold where legal sovereignty clashes directly with the very infrastructure of globalized finance. While Western sanctions seek to freeze the capital of States deemed hostile, the response of the targeted nations now shifts to the international judicial arena, threatening to paralyze the traditional mechanisms of settlement-delivery and securities custody. This conflict of sovereignties illustrates the systemic fragility of a centralized financial model, increasingly exposed to major geopolitical risks.

Bolivia changes its monetary strategy after fifteen years of artificial stability. The country abandons its fixed peg to the dollar due to the decline of its reserves and economic pressure. This decision also revives the debate around financial alternatives like Bitcoin, as cryptocurrencies advance in economies facing currency tensions. The new exchange rate regime marks a new stage for the boliviano and transforms the country's monetary environment.

The growing entanglement of national security, technological supply chains and financial sovereignty is profoundly changing global macroeconomic balances. Financial markets and the crypto ecosystem were beginning to observe signs of institutional stabilization when a major diplomatic rupture just occurred. On Monday, June 22, China officially ended the trade truce by announcing massive sanctions against dozens of American companies linked to the strategic sectors of defense and rare earths. Beijing's offensive revives economic hostilities with Washington and threatens to strangle high-tech industries that depend on these essential raw materials for advanced infrastructures.

Global financial markets hate geopolitical uncertainty, but they react with crucial speed as soon as a glimmer of stability appears on the horizon. With Donald Trump's signing of a key agreement reopening the Strait of Hormuz, we are witnessing one of those decisive moments that can transform the global map of capital movements. The conflict triggered on February 28 by the US-Israeli offensive, which had frozen the real economy and plunged investors into rigorous wait-and-see, was followed by this highly strategic agreement between the United States and Iran.

While Trump plays the tough guy, BlackRock senses trouble. Oil, inflation, bitcoin: the trilogy that can blow everything up.

Gold was supposed to shine under the bombs, silver was supposed to play the bodyguard. Failed: the Fed comes out with its club, markets sell everything, and bitcoin also takes a hit.

More than 80 countries are now seeking to reduce their dependence on the US dollar, a movement gaining unprecedented momentum under the impetus of the BRICS. Between trade settlements in yuan, rupee, or ruble and the multiplication of bilateral monetary agreements, several major economies are accelerating their transition towards alternatives to the greenback. As the expanded BRICS bloc gains influence on global trade, this dynamic is gradually reshaping international financial balances and fueling questions about the future of dollar dominance.

At the end of May 2026, the FBI seized 303 gold bars worth about 40 million dollars at the home of David Rush, a former senior CIA official. Donald Trump took the opportunity to publicly renew his call for a physical audit of U.S. gold reserves. Is the world's most famous vault really full?

The dollar is losing ground where it ruled uncontested for decades. In March 2026, Russia and Iran settled $214 billion in trade in Chinese yuan, confirming the acceleration of dedollarization led by the BRICS. Behind this monetary shift lies a strategic battle between Washington and Beijing for control of global trade. Energy commerce, geopolitical tensions, and the rise of the "petroyuan": the great powers are quietly reshaping the rules of the international financial system.

While Donald Trump sets foot in Beijing for a visit presented as "historic", another battle is being fought far from the cameras: that of global industrial control. In Brussels, the meeting between the American president and Xi Jinping fuels growing concern. Behind the diplomatic smiles, Europe fears an agreement capable of reshuffling the cards of trade, technologies, and critical materials. Rare earths, supply chains, economic warfare: the Sino-American summit could accelerate Europe's industrial decline.

American inflation accelerates again. In April, the price increase reached 3.8% year-on-year, its highest level in three years. The surge in energy costs, fueled by tensions around Iran and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, is beginning to weigh on the American economy. This rise now complicates the outlook for Federal Reserve rate cuts and revives tensions in the financial markets.

Donald Trump's rejection of an Iranian ceasefire proposal immediately shook global markets. Oil prices crossed the $100 mark, US futures fell, and tensions around the Strait of Hormuz returned to the forefront of concerns. In this nervous climate, Bitcoin nevertheless surprises by its stability around $81,000. Such behavior contrasts with previous geopolitical crises.

A targeted strike on a Gulf oil hub was enough to instantly destabilize markets. The attack attributed to Iran on Fujairah, in the United Arab Emirates, propelled Brent beyond 120 dollars and put financial balances under pressure. Far from a simple geopolitical episode, this event reveals a growing tension between energy shock and investor reactions, in an environment where every supply disruption redefines global economic expectations.

Tensions are rising around the Strait of Hormuz after Trump refused to accept an Iranian proposal to reopen the maritime route before any progress is made on the nuclear issue. This position keeps pressure on Tehran and is already shaking global markets. Oil reacted sharply, jumping to nearly $120 per barrel, while Bitcoin and Ethereum fell in a constrained liquidity environment. Investors are now watching the impact of this crisis on energy, the dollar, and risk assets, including crypto.

Powell keeps rates frozen, markets sweat, and crypto slides quietly. Oil rises, inflation bites, and the Fed watches calmly while investors wonder who really controls the game now.

Brussels pulls out the big crypto lock: stablecoins, digital rouble, Russian platforms. While Moscow vows to hold firm, Europe counts the pipes, shuts the taps, and coldly smiles at the hurried fraudsters.

China has multiplied strong signals over the past 24 hours. It is continuing to toughen its economic and technological policy while strengthening its control over crypto. Beijing further regulates American capital and accelerates its autonomy in artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, Washington's sanctions against Chinese energy companies add additional pressure. Between finance, technology, and energy, the balance of power between Beijing and Washington takes on a new dimension.

The use of digital assets enters a more contrasted phase after several quarters marked by dynamic global activity. According to a TRM Labs study, cryptocurrency adoption slowed in the first quarter of 2026, especially in developed economies. This evolution shows a more selective crypto market, where local needs, digital payments, economic conditions, and geopolitical tensions increasingly influence user behaviors.

The Strait of Hormuz, a key passage through which nearly one-fifth of the world’s oil transits, is tipping into a zone of extreme tension. Donald Trump now claims to have total control over access, stating that no ship can pass without the approval of the United States Navy. This stance comes after several military incidents between Washington and Tehran, escalating an already explosive crisis. Between shows of force and direct responses, this standoff is redrawing energy and strategic balances on a global scale.

The great powers reveal themselves in crises, and BRICS may have just missed their moment. While the war involving Iran could have marked a turning point, the bloc remained silent, unable to display a common position. This silence raises questions about its real credibility in face of its global ambitions. Behind the image of a counter-power to the West, this sequence mainly exposes deep divisions and structural weaknesses that rhetoric is no longer enough to mask.

In a few hours, the price of oil has crossed the 100 dollar mark again after the announcement of a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by Washington. This nerve center of global energy trade becomes again a major pressure lever in the confrontation between the United States and Iran. Behind this surge, an immediate risk: to see geopolitical tension turn into a global economic shock, with direct repercussions on inflation and financial markets.

Crypto is now establishing itself in areas where geopolitical tensions dictate the rules. According to Chainalysis, crypto payments related to Iran could expose certain companies to international sanctions. This signal comes as maritime transport players explore new ways to circumvent traditional constraints. Between financial innovation and regulatory risk, the use of blockchain in these sensitive contexts raises questions.