Trade, investment, strategic cooperation, and the vision of a multipolar world order took centre stage on the second day of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on Sunday, 13 September 2026, with experts and industry leaders describing the bloc as an increasingly consequential platform for the Global South. The summit, hosted by India, has drawn world leaders and senior diplomats at a time of heightened geopolitical tension and shifting trade alliances.

Three Key Outcomes From the Summit

SWFI Chairman and IBRICS 2026 Lead Co-Chair Lakshmi Narayanan said the tariff-related challenges confronting several economies were not of BRICS' making but a consequence of the broader global trade environment — particularly the ripple effects of US trade policy. He noted that BRICS members had agreed to tackle these pressures through collective cooperation and coordinated economic action.

According to Narayanan, three significant outcomes crystallised at the summit: a concerted push to expand bilateral and multilateral trade among member states; positive forward movement on resolving India-China border-related issues; and a mutual understanding between India and Russia to scale bilateral trade to $100 billion. He said these developments held the potential to deepen both economic ties and strategic alignment within the grouping.

Narayanan also underscored the role of IBRICS as an action-oriented platform designed to convert summit-level dialogue into tangible investments, projects, and business opportunities — a bridge, he argued, between geopolitical ambition and commercial reality.

Delhi Declaration: A Document for Global Security

Defence expert Ranjit Rai characterised the Delhi Declaration adopted at the summit as an important instrument for global security and international cooperation. He said the summit offered world leaders a closer understanding of India's strategic priorities and reinforced the necessity of collective action on climate change, security, and economic development.

'BRICS' original objective is to strengthen a multipolar world order, where global decision-making is not limited to a few countries,' Rai said.

BRICS Represents Half the World's Population

Former Vice Chairman of the SETU Commission, Rajshekhar Joshi, described BRICS as among the most influential examples of Global South solidarity, noting that the grouping now represents more than half the world's population and approximately 40 per cent of global GDP. That demographic and economic weight, analysts argue, is precisely what gives BRICS its growing leverage in multilateral forums traditionally dominated by Western-led institutions.

This comes amid a broader realignment in global trade, with several emerging economies seeking alternatives to dollar-denominated settlement systems and Western-anchored supply chains. The BRICS framework, particularly after its 2023-24 expansion, has been positioned as a structural counterweight — though critics argue coherence among such a diverse membership remains a challenge.

India's Global Profile in the Spotlight

Industry representatives also weighed in on India's hosting of the event. Indo Wings Private Ltd CEO Paras Jain said India's management of the summit had strengthened the country's global standing, while Nick Booker of Indogenius argued that the participation of world leaders underscored India's rising importance in international diplomacy and economic engagement.

Notably, this is India's first time hosting the BRICS Summit since the bloc's significant expansion, making New Delhi's management of the event a statement of its own about the country's organisational and diplomatic capacity.

With the Delhi Declaration now on record and trade targets set, the focus shifts to whether BRICS members can translate summit commitments into verifiable outcomes — a test the grouping has faced repeatedly since its founding.