From Expansion to Substance: How India is Shaping the Next Chapter of BRICS
As India assumes the BRICS presidency for 2026, the world finds itself amid profound transformation - one defined by disrupted trade routes, recalibrated power equations and the sharpening divide between developed and developing economies. Against this turbulent backdrop, India steps into leadership with a clear sense of purpose: to guide BRICS into its next phase of evolution - from expansion in membership to expansion in meaning.
BRICS today stands as a diverse collective of ten member nations, symbolizing not merely a shift in geopolitical weight but also a widening of aspiration. The inclusion of new members marks a decisive transition - what may be described as the alliance’s move from being an exclusive club of emerging economies to a genuinely representative voice of the Global South. India’s presidency comes, therefore, at a moment not just of opportunity but of responsibility: to translate this broadened composition into structural transformation that benefits nations, cities, and industries alike.
The Four Pillars of India’s Presidency
In outlining the priorities of India’s presidency, H.E. Ambassador Mr. Sudhakar Dalela, India’s Sherpa to BRICS, emphasized four guiding pillars - resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability. Each of these speaks to the evolving demands of an interconnected but uncertain world.
Resilience underscores the capacity to withstand global volatility - whether stemming from trade disruptions, supply chain realignments or financial market instability. India’s emphasis on resilience suggests a vision of BRICS as not just reactive but proactive - building institutional capacity and localized strength within member states.
Innovation recognizes that economic leadership in the 21st century rests not only on natural resources or demographics, but on intellectual capital - digital collaboration, technology transfer, and the nurturing of start-up ecosystems.
Cooperation remains the traditional but essential foundation of this alliance. Yet, under India’s stewardship, cooperation is likely to move beyond diplomatic dialogue into structured engagements between industries, academia, and regional authorities.
Sustainability offers the long-term anchor to every developmental goal, linking climate-conscious growth with inclusive modernization.
Together, these pillars reflect an evolutionary intent: to make BRICS not merely a platform for state-level deliberations, but a living mechanism for collective self-reliance and shared progress.
Balancing Global Relations and Realpolitik
India’s diplomatic finesse has long been tested in managing complex geopolitical equations - particularly within the BRICS framework, which brings together Russia and China, two countries with whom India’s relations are nuanced and at times, fraught with competitive undertones.
In the current leadership role, India must balance a strategic continuity with Russia - a partner of deep historical and energy-linked cooperation - with a measured engagement with China, where dialogue coexists with cautious distance. This equilibrium will define the success of India’s presidency, allowing it to steer common agendas without becoming mired in bilateral frictions.
The broader context is the global reconfiguration of alliances. As the West tightens its fiscal and trade policies, developing economies are looking increasingly towards frameworks like BRICS for policy space, credit access, and developmental cooperation outside the traditional Bretton Woods system. India’s leadership thus extends beyond its immediate neighbours - it articulates the aspirations of the Global South, seeking greater equity in global governance.
From Expansion in Scale to Expansion in Substance
The handover of BRICS presidency to India represents what can be termed the second stage of BRICS expansion. The first was quantitative - the induction of new members. The second, now unfolding, is qualitative - the deepening of cooperation mechanisms that enable direct collaboration across urban economies, industries, and innovation ecosystems.
In this regard, the ongoing deliberations around introducing a new category of BRICS Partner Countries signal a pragmatic approach: broadening participation without diluting cohesion. Such inclusion can foster shared projects in climate finance, fintech regulation, and circular economy models - areas where India holds recognized expertise and moral authority.
Building Economic Bridges: The City and Industry Dimension
Economic diplomacy today extends far beyond ministries and boardrooms. Cities - as centers of production, consumption, and innovation - are at the frontlines of global transformation. During the BRICS Dialogue 2024 in Moscow, hosted by H.E. Mr. Sergey Cheremin, Hon’ble Minister of the Government of Moscow, I had the privilege of sharing this perspective through a special address on “Creation of Innovative Platforms for Continuous Dialogue.”
In my recommendations, I proposed three specific mechanisms for structured urban and industrial engagement:
An Annual BRICS Cities and Regions Summit - enabling mayors, governors,
and urban planners to share strategies for smart infrastructure, digital
governance, and sustainable mobility.
A BRICS Cities Exchange Programme - building people-to-people linkages through urban fellows, technology pilots, and municipal partnerships.
Such initiatives would empower cities not merely as administrative units but as engines of economic diplomacy - converting BRICS’ geopolitical expansion into tangible economic opportunities for enterprises, start-ups, and local economies.
Reimagining Global Growth Through BRICS
India’s presidency also coincides with a growing demand for
institutional reform within global finance and trade governance. The evolving
role of the New Development Bank (NDB), championed within BRICS, must now be
redefined to emphasize project-level lending for mid-sized cities, renewable
energy corridors, and industrial innovation hubs. India’s experience with
public–private partnership (PPP) models offers a template for scalable,
responsible and inclusive project financing.
Furthermore, the rise of digital trade, the geopolitics of rare earth elements, and the structural shifts in global shipping networks all demand coordinated BRICS frameworks for data governance, logistics connectivity, and financial settlement systems. India’s leadership in Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and other digital public goods could serve as a foundation for a shared BRICS Digital Infrastructure - fostering trust, transparency, and transactional efficiency across borders.
Towards a Transformative Legacy
Every presidency in the BRICS journey has contributed to a distinct layer of this evolving alliance. India’s 2026 stint carries a pivotal expectation - to solidify BRICS as a structurally capable, economically integrated, and politically respected institution. This requires not only visionary policy but also administrative agility: linking national objectives with city-level action, converting declarations into design, and consensus into cooperation.
As the world navigates supply chain realignments, artificial intelligence regulations, and climate imperatives, the essence of India’s presidency lies in a simple but profound conviction - that growth must be inclusive, innovation must be shared, and progress must be sustainable.
If India can translate that conviction into concrete outcomes - through resilient partnerships, cross-sector innovation, and strengthened linkages between nations and their cities - then 2026 will be remembered not merely as another year of BRICS chairmanship, but as the year the alliance began to mature into a genuine platform for a balanced, multipolar and human-centered global order.
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