BRICS Summit 2026: What India could gain from hosting the Global South's biggest bloc

India is preparing to host the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13, bringing together leaders of one of the world's largest groupings of emerging economies and developing countries. The summit at Bharat Mandapam comes at an important moment for India, as it holds the BRICS Chairship in 2026 and seeks to strengthen its position as a leading voice of the Global South. New Delhi's agenda focuses on cooperation across commerce, agriculture, healthcare, energy, digital technology, urban development, small businesses, startups, climate action and cultural exchanges. The framework is built around four pillars: resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability. Resilience focuses on protecting economies, institutions and societies from supply-chain disruptions, health crises, geopolitical shocks and climate risks. Innovation covers areas such as artificial intelligence, financial technology, digital public infrastructure and data-driven systems. Cooperation focuses on expanding trade, strengthening institutional links, improving development financing and increasing economic policy coordination. Sustainability includes climate action, green finance, energy transition and sustainable development. India is also pushing for stronger and more balanced trade among BRICS members, greater trade in services, resilient global value chains and easier access to finance for small businesses. India's exports to BRICS were estimated at $82 billion in goods in FY2025-26, while services exports stood at $31.3 billion in calendar 2024. Easier access to BRICS markets could therefore have significant commercial benefits for Indian businesses. India's objective is to move BRICS beyond political statements and towards practical outcomes that can benefit businesses, economies and people. The final meeting of BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors is scheduled to be held in Mumbai on September 9-10, just days before the leaders' summit. The grouping has advanced the Strategy for BRICS Economic Partnership 2030 and adopted the BRICS Global Value Chains Action Plan 2026-2030. For India, one of the biggest opportunities is to make BRICS cooperation commercially meaningful. Vaibhav Maloo, managing director of Enso Group and president of Enso Foundation, said India should use its BRICS presidency to secure faster export payments, fewer certification hurdles and financed infrastructure projects. Payments could become one of the clearest areas where India can offer something tangible to the expanded BRICS grouping. The summit is set to take place in New Delhi on September 12-13.