Trump’s Arctic Tariff Gambit Sparks NATO Rift as BRICS Sees Crypto Opportunity
President Trump's 10% tariffs on eight NATO allies over Greenland sovereignty disputes have triggered the most severe trade confrontation in the alliance's history. The measures, targeting Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, Netherlands, and Finland, take effect February 1, 2026 with escalation clauses to 25% by June.
Market analysts note the geopolitical instability is driving capital toward decentralized assets. Bitcoin (BTC) and ethereum (ETH) saw 3% upward pressure following the announcement, while privacy coins like Monero (XMR) and Zcash (ZEC) gained 7% on dark pool order flow.
BRICS nations are capitalizing on the discord. Russian Prime Minister Mishustin confirmed accelerated development of a commodity-backed digital payment system, with rumors of gold-pegged stablecoin trials involving XRP and ADA settlement layers.
Arctic mineral security concerns have boosted mining-related tokens. Filecoin (FIL) surged 12% on speculation about decentralized storage solutions for rare earth supply chain tracking, while Helium (HNT) antennas are being deployed across Greenlandic mining sites.