BRICS: Bringing people and economies together

Source: Hindustan Times | Original Published At: 2026-09-12 03:11:14 UTC

Key Points

• BRICS represents 49.5% of the world's population, 40% of global GDP and 26% of world trade, according to the article.
• India's 2026 BRICS chairmanship emphasizes a people-centric agenda under the theme Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.
• The article cites BRICS digital public infrastructure initiatives, including India's proposed BRICS Digital Public Infrastructure Repository and pilot implementations, as opportunities to reduce friction in cross-border payments and identity verification.
• Travel and tourism within BRICS are described as growing, with India recording 20.22 million international tourist arrivals in 2025 and 32.83 million Indians travelling abroad.
• BRICS merchandise trade reached $1.17 trillion by 2024, more than 13 times its 2003 level, while India's merchandise exports to BRICS countries were estimated at $82 billion in FY2025-26.
• BRICS has structured its 2026 architecture around three pillars: political and security, economy and finance, and culture and people-to-people exchange.
• The article calls for a coordinated BRICS mobility framework to simplify travel, expand flight connections and improve digital travel and payments.