India is hosting the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13, with trade, energy and food security, artificial intelligence, cross-border payments and supply-chain resilience among the key areas on the agenda.
India assumed the BRICS chairship in 2026 under the theme of building for resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability. The grouping now comprises 11 full members following its expansion over the past few years.
Ahead of the summit, discussions have focused on digital trade for micro, small and medium enterprises, development finance, critical supply chains, artificial intelligence and cross-border payment systems.
Trade And Supply Chains In Focus
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, speaking at the BRICS Business Forum in New Delhi, highlighted geopolitical conflicts, pandemics and climate-related disruptions among the shocks affecting the global economy.
He called for dependable logistics, predictable business conditions and stronger economic activity to improve the ability of BRICS economies to absorb external shocks.
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said BRICS represents nearly a quarter of global trade and called for deeper trade among member countries, diversified supply chains and greater market access for products, raw materials and critical minerals.
Cross-Border Payments On Agenda
Cross-border payments are another area under discussion, including efforts to facilitate transactions between member countries using their domestic payment infrastructure and national currencies.
India and Russia are expected to discuss connecting their domestic payment networks during bilateral engagements between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin. A memorandum of understanding linking the two countries' payment systems is among the expected outcomes reported ahead of the summit.
The discussions come alongside the broader BRICS push to strengthen payment connectivity and facilitate cross-border transactions in national currencies.
India-China Engagement
Chinese President Xi Jinping is visiting New Delhi for the summit, his first visit to the Indian capital in seven years. Bilateral discussions between Modi and Xi are expected to cover areas including border management, technology and climate cooperation.
The summit takes place as BRICS has expanded significantly beyond its original membership. Brazil, Russia, India and China formed the initial grouping, with South Africa subsequently joining.
Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia joined the expanded grouping in 2024, followed by Indonesia in 2025, taking the number of full members to 11.
BRICS also has 10 partner countries: Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.