BRICS Summit 2026: The Group’s Relevance Has Grown, but Can It Achieve Its Potential?

Source: Livemint | Original Published At: 2026-09-10 02:00:55 UTC

Key Points

• BRICS has expanded from the original BRIC grouping to 11 members, representing nearly half of the world’s population, about a quarter of global trade, and 35-40% of global GDP in purchasing power parity terms.
• The editorial argues that BRICS has not yet fully realized early hopes of becoming a cohesive voice for the Global South, partly because of divergent interests among major members such as India and China.
• U.S. President Donald Trump’s reported threat of an extra 10% tariff on countries aligning with BRICS’ alleged “anti-American policies” is presented as evidence of a growing threat perception toward the bloc.
• A possible near-term BRICS initiative is a pragmatic link-up of digital currencies for cross-border payments, with Reserve Bank of India Governor Sanjay Malhotra describing it as an area with scope to reduce costs.
• China is reported to favor the mBridge open platform, while the United States is noted as lacking an e-dollar launch plan.
• The article concludes that BRICS’ future global architecture remains speculative and that the group must avoid becoming a vehicle for narrow interests if it is to build consensus on a globally significant agenda.