As India prepares to host the BRICS Summit, the article traces New Delhi’s shift from seeking reform in global institutions to offering scalable solutions in finance, digital public infrastructure, health cooperation and resilience.
An analysis of India’s role in BRICS and its use of the bloc to advance strategic autonomy amid major-power rivalry.
The expanded BRICS+ bloc has a larger share of global GDP and strong intra-trade, but internal political divisions and India’s import dependence remain key challenges.
BRICS is discussing a common cross-border payments system, but India’s participation would require reconciling RBI data-localisation rules and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act.
Russia said 90% of payments with BRICS countries are now settled in national currencies, while rejecting claims that BRICS is an anti-Western bloc.
VVIP movements linked to the BRICS Summit are expected to begin on September 9, with September 11 projected as the busiest arrival day.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is expected to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi while attending the BRICS summit in India.
India is adopting a subdued approach to hosting the BRICS Leaders’ Summit amid strained relations with the United States, tensions with China, and a challenging geopolitical environment.
India’s hosting of the expanded BRICS Summit is framed by former diplomats as a test of balancing geopolitical divisions with practical economic, technology, and digital infrastructure cooperation.
