Jim O'Neill was speaking in Dubai on the day the European Central Bank unveiled its €500 billion (Dh2.42 trillion) "bazooka" to help to resolve the euro-zone crisis.
But he believes that the machinations of the European financial elite are of secondary importance in the big global picture.
"Europe is still not the world," he said, describing the problems of the Greek economy as a "never-ending nonsense".
"Market participants and media have some sort of obsessive mindset about Greece," he said. "The euro zone will go up and down, as will the euro. However, people shouldn't exaggerate its importance.
"In 2012, the combined GDP of the Bric countries will increase by US$2tn [Dh7.34tn] - close to creating another economy the size of Italy.
"China creates the equivalent of another Greece every 12 weeks or so. This decade, the countries we have identified as growth economies- the Bric countries plus Mexico, South Korea, Turkey and Indonesia - will add $15tn-$16tn to global GDP, more than double that of the USA and Europe combined," he estimated.
But Mr O'Neill recognised that the euro-zone authorities have taken positive action over the past couple of months to defuse the crisis. "What is key is that the ECB [European Central Bank] and other policymakers protect the downside risks from getting worse, and they have done this so far.
"Then it becomes an overhyped story."
Does he believe the notion that it is up to the fast-growing economies of Asia to pull the developed world out its economic problems?
"Asia and the other growth-market economies will contribute to global growth, and continuing on this growth trajectory is what the Bric countries can do to help the world," he said. "In the developed world, Germany is the model for the rest of them. It has the lowest unemployment for 20 years and it already exports more to the Bric countries than it does to France," he added.
* Frank Kane
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Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 (Turf) 1,400m. Winner: Al Ajeeb W’Rsan, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Jaci Wickham (trainer).
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 (T) 1,400m racing. Winner: Mujeeb, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel.
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 90,000 (T) 2,200m. Winner: Onward, Connor Beasley, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
6.30pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown Prep Rated Conditions (PA) Dh 125,000 (T) 2,200m. Winner: Somoud, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roualle.
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (T) 1,600m. Winner: AF Arrab, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 90,000 (T) 1,400m. Winner: Irish Freedom, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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If you go
The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at.
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti with Coastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.
THE SPECS
Engine: AMG-enhanced 3.0L inline-6 turbo with EQ Boost and electric auxiliary compressor
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 429hp
Torque: 520Nm
Price: Dh360,200 (starting)
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million