BRICS Summit: Xi, Putin, Pezeshkian among international leaders expected next month in New Delhi
The 18th BRICS Leaders' Summit is expected to be held in New Delhi on September 12-13, 2026, under India's ongoing 2026 BRICS chairship
At least eight of the grouping's 11 full member-state heads of state or government are expected to attend, including the leaders of China, Russia and Iran; Brazil is expected to be represented at the foreign-minister level
Beyond the 11 full members, outreach invitations under the "BRICS Plus" format have gone out to several non-member states in their capacities as leaders of regional groupings
The summit takes place against the backdrop of ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving member states, giving added weight to the grouping's discussions on financial institutions such as the New Development Bank
BRICS — Origin, Expansion and Current Membership
BRICS began as an acronym coined for Brazil, Russia, India and China by economist Jim O'Neill in 2001; the grouping held its first leaders' summit in 2009. South Africa joined in 2010, making it BRICS. A major expansion took effect on 1 January 2024, admitting Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE as full members; Indonesia formally joined as the eleventh full member in January 2025.
Key Details
- Current full membership (2026): Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Indonesia — 11 members
- BRICS also maintains a "partner country" category (around 10 states, including nations such as Belarus, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uzbekistan and Vietnam), a tier below full membership
- The grouping is a plurilateral forum, not a treaty-based organisation with a permanent secretariat — decisions proceed by consensus and rotating annual chairship
- Distinguish from other groupings India is part of: SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, security/connectivity focus, includes Pakistan) and G20 (broader economic forum including developed economies)
The 2026 New Delhi summit will be the first leaders' summit hosted by India since the 2024 expansion, so it tests the current, expanded 11-member roster rather than the older 5-member (or 2010s 5+South Africa) configuration.
New Development Bank (NDB) and Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA)
The NDB (once informally called the "BRICS Bank") and the CRA are the grouping's flagship financial institutions, created to reduce reliance on the World Bank/IMF-centred international financial architecture. Both were established by agreements signed at the 6th BRICS Summit in Fortaleza, Brazil, on 15 July 2014.
Key Details
- NDB initial authorised capital: USD 100 billion, headquartered in Shanghai; the idea for a South-South development bank was first proposed by India at the 2012 New Delhi (4th) BRICS summit
- CRA: a USD 100 billion currency swap arrangement to provide members short-term balance-of-payments liquidity support, functioning independently of the IMF
- NDB membership has expanded beyond the five founding BRICS states to include Bangladesh and the UAE (2021), Egypt (2023), Algeria (2025) and Uzbekistan (2026) — NDB membership is broader than, and distinct from, BRICS political membership
- India was NDB's first rotating president (K.V. Kamath, 2015-2020)
Discussions on strengthening the NDB and exploring local-currency and alternative payment mechanisms (such as BRICS Pay) are expected agenda items at the 2026 summit, continuing the grouping's push to de-dollarise trade among members.
India's BRICS Chairship Pattern
BRICS chairship rotates annually among members using the acronym order; the chair hosts that year's leaders' summit. India has now held the chairship four times.
Key Details
- India hosted the 4th BRICS Summit (2012, New Delhi), 8th Summit (2016, Goa), and 13th Summit (2021, held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, chaired from New Delhi)
- 2026 marks India's fourth chairship and its first in-person summit hosted since 2016
- The 2026 summit is expected to be held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, the venue also used for the 2023 G20 Leaders' Summit
The New Delhi summit is significant as India's first physical BRICS summit since Goa 2016 and its first as host of the enlarged 11-member grouping.
- 18th BRICS Leaders' Summit: New Delhi, expected September 12-13, 2026
- BRICS full membership: 11 states (post-2024 expansion + Indonesia's January 2025 entry)
- NDB and CRA established: 6th BRICS Summit, Fortaleza, 15 July 2014; NDB authorised capital USD 100 billion
- India's prior BRICS chairships/summits hosted: 2012 (New Delhi), 2016 (Goa), 2021 (virtual, New Delhi)
- NDB's tenth member (joined June 2026): Uzbekistan, its first Central Asian member