BRICS 2026: India Eyes Bigger Exports, Investments And New Business Opportunities

India's BRICS Summit in 2026 is now in its most important phase as the 18th BRICS conference is going on in New Delhi on September 12 to13.

India is hosting BRICS under the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability."

The expanded grouping now has 11 members Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the UAE collectively representing about 49.5% of the global population, 40% of global GDP and 26% of global trade, according to the Indian government.

But the real test for India will be whether BRICS can move from broad political commitments to commercial outcomes that companies can actually use.

India-BRICS trade is growing, but the imbalance is a major concern

As per PIB, India already has major trade links with BRICS economies. Intra-BRICS merchandise trade has increased dramatically over the years, rising from $84 billion in 2003 to $1.17 trillion in 2024. Yet intra-BRICS trade still accounts for only around 5% of global trade.

For India, however, greater trade has also meant a growing trade deficit. India's trade with the other 10 BRICS members reached around $417.5 billion in FY2025-26, according to data cited by the Global Trade Research Initiative. India's exports stood at about $95.7 billion, compared with imports of $321.8 billion, creting a merchandise trade deficit of approximately $226.1 billion. BRICS partners accounted for nearly 42% of India's merchandise imports but only about 22% of its exports.

China is the major cause of this imbalance India's imports from China reached $131.6 billion in FY2026, while exports to China were around $19.5 billion. Russia has also become a major source of imports, mainly because of India's growing energy purchases, while the UAE has emerged as India's largest BRICS export market.

Easier market access for Indian exporters

One of the strongest demands from Indian industry ahead of the New Delhi summit is easier access to BRICS markets.
The Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) has called for BRICS to move beyond strategic dialogue and provide measurable outcomes in exports, investment, technology partnerships and strong supply chains.

This matters particularly for sectors where India already has competitive capabilities, including pharmaceuticals, engineering goods, chemicals, automobiles and components, textiles, agricultural products, IT and business services.

"The government has already pushed this agenda during the BRICS Trade Ministers' Meeting in Jaipur advanced work on the BRICS Economic Partnership Strategy 2030, while also focusing on services, digital trade, global value chains and MSME internationalisation." as per PIB.