India and Indonesia to pursue trade in national currencies, bypassing the U.S. dollar

The move points to broader efforts to settle cross-border commerce in local currencies rather than relying on the dollar for bilateral trade.

Summary

India and Indonesia will work on conducting trade in their national currencies instead of using the U.S. dollar. The step signals a push toward local-currency settlement (paying for trade in domestic currencies), a mechanism countries use to reduce exchange-rate dependence on the dollar and potentially lower transaction frictions in bilateral commerce.

Terms & Concepts
  • local-currency settlement: Paying for trade in each country’s own currency.