BRICS
Origin, Expansion, and India's 2026 Chairmanship
BRICS began as an informal grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC), first conceptualised in a 2001 Goldman Sachs report and formalised as a grouping in 2009; South Africa joined in 2010, making it BRICS. In 2024, the bloc expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE (Saudi Arabia was invited but has not formally joined), taking membership to ten countries. India assumed the rotating BRICS chairmanship on 1 January 2026 — its fourth term as chair after 2012, 2016, and 2021 — and is scheduled to host the 18th BRICS Summit later in 2026.
- First BRIC summit: Yekaterinburg, Russia, 2009; South Africa admitted 2010 (making it BRICS)
- 2024 expansion added Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE — bloc now has 10 member states
- India holds the 2026 chairmanship (4th time), following Brazil's 2025 chairmanship
- BRICS operates by consensus; it has no binding treaty-based secretariat like the UN or WTO
● Tracked since February 10, 2026 · last seen August 30, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
Plus 45 earlier mentions since February 10, 2026.