BRICS 2026 Moves From Expansion to Economic Infrastructure, Raising New Questions for Global Trade

Source: EUROPE SAYS | Original Published At: 2026-11-01 12:21:20 UTC

Key Points

• The 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi adopted the New Delhi Declaration, focusing on cross-border payments, supply-chain resilience, AI, development finance, and support for small and medium-sized enterprises.
• BRICS is shifting attention from expansion toward building practical mechanisms for trade, finance, technology, and development cooperation.
• The BRICS Payment Task Force is studying interoperability among cross-border payment and messaging channels, as well as voluntary use of local currencies for settlement.
• The New Delhi Declaration supports the BRICS Global Value Chain Action Plan for 2026–2030, prioritizing trade facilitation, industrial capacity, connectivity, technology access, and resilient supply networks.
• The New Development Bank reported $42.9 billion in approved financing across 139 projects, with recent approvals in India, South Africa, and Brazil.
• BRICS leaders also discussed improving credit assessment for export-oriented micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises and studying invoice-discounting mechanisms.
• The article notes that AI, digital standards, payments, and development finance could affect businesses operating across BRICS markets, but implementation remains the key test.