BRICS Summit 2026: New Delhi, 11 members and the expansion question
The New Delhi Summit closed on 13 September 2026. The exam, however, cares about three things that outlive any summit, the forum's expansion, its payment mechanisms, and what membership actually means.
The summit
India chaired the 18th BRICS Summit at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, on 12–13 September 2026, under the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Trust". The leaders adopted the New Delhi Declaration, India's second summit-level BRICS outcome after the 2021 chairship.
Sources: BRICS 2026: India chairship · MEA: New Delhi Declaration
The membership map
| Status | Members |
|---|---|
| Founding | Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa |
| 2024 expansion | Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE |
| 2025 addition | Indonesia |
| Partners | About ten partner countries under the Kazan model |
India's balancing positions
India's public line holds four constants.
On expansion. It supports calibrated, consensus-based growth and resists framing the bloc as anti-Western.
On currency. It has consistently opposed a common BRICS currency, supporting local-currency trade settlement bilaterally instead.
On character. It presents BRICS as a Global South platform, not a military or ideological alliance.
On reform. It ties BRICS weight to the older demands of Security Council and IMF quota reform.
The institutions
The New Development Bank. Headquartered in Shanghai, the bloc's multilateral lender. Its first president was India's K.V. Kamath.
The Contingent Reserve Arrangement. The safety net, a liquidity pool against short-term balance-of-payments pressures.
The two are the exam's standard pairing, one for development lending, one for crisis liquidity.
Prelims traps
| Statement | True or False |
|---|---|
| "The 18th BRICS Summit met in New Delhi" | True |
| "BRICS has 11 full members as of September 2026" | True |
| "India supports a common BRICS currency" | False. It opposes one |
| "The New Development Bank is headquartered in Beijing" | False. Shanghai |
Part of: India and the World, April to June 2026
Read next: UNGA 81 · G20: the institution and India's priorities
Source: Ministry of External Affairs; BRICS 2026 chairship secretariat.