The New Face of an Expanded BRICS
Originally a club of five major emerging economies—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—BRICS underwent a landmark expansion. As of early 2025, the group officially includes Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia,
bringing its total membership to eleven. This move significantly increased the bloc's demographic and economic footprint, now representing nearly half the world's population. Furthermore, a new category of 'Partner Countries' was created, allowing nations like Nigeria, Vietnam, and Kazakhstan to engage with the bloc without full membership, signalling a structured approach to managing the high demand from over 30 interested nations.
The Push for a Bigger Bloc
The primary drivers behind the rapid expansion have been China and, to a large extent, Russia. For Beijing, a larger BRICS serves a clear strategic purpose: to build a formidable coalition of Global South countries that can act as a counterweight to Western-led institutions like the G7. By expanding the group's influence, China aims to accelerate the shift towards a multipolar world order where Washington's dominance is diminished. Russia shares this goal, viewing an expanded BRICS as a vital platform for building diplomatic and economic alliances outside of the Western sphere, especially as it faces continued international pressure and sanctions.
The Voices of Caution
Not all original members share the same enthusiasm for rapid growth. India and Brazil, in particular, have adopted a more cautious stance. Their main concern is that unchecked expansion could dilute their own influence within the group and make decision-making by consensus nearly impossible. There is a tangible fear that BRICS could transform from a group focused on the shared economic interests of emerging markets into an overtly anti-Western political alliance dominated by Beijing's strategic rivalry with the United States. This has led New Delhi to insist that any future expansion must be gradual and based on clearly defined criteria.
What Is BRICS For? The Core Disagreement
At its heart, the expansion debate is a proxy for a deeper, more fundamental question about the bloc's purpose. Is BRICS an economic cooperative focused on development finance, trade, and reforming global governance, as India and Brazil envision? Or is it a geopolitical vehicle for challenging the existing world order, as China and Russia advocate? The recent inclusion of countries with historically rivalrous relationships, such as Iran and Saudi Arabia, highlights the challenge of maintaining cohesion. A larger, more diverse membership makes it harder to agree on common priorities, risking internal gridlock and turning the bloc into a 'talk shop' rather than an effective institution.
India’s High-Stakes Balancing Act
As the chair and host of the 2026 BRICS Summit in New Delhi, India finds itself in a critical position to shape the group's future. Indian policymakers have been clear in their framing: the country is “non-Western, not anti-Western.” New Delhi's goal is to steer BRICS towards practical, achievable goals that benefit the Global South without forcing members to choose sides in a new Cold War. This includes promoting trade in national currencies to reduce dollar dependency, integrating digital payment systems, and strengthening the New Development Bank (NDB) as an alternative source of infrastructure funding. Rather than pushing for a confrontational stance, India is using its leadership to try and keep the focus on economic resilience and strategic autonomy for all its members.
