BRICS nations on 21 June agreed to deepen cooperation and build a more resilient, innovation-led MSME ecosystem at the inaugural BRICS MSME Forum hosted by India in Agra, according to an official statement. The two-day gathering brought together policymakers, industry leaders, and entrepreneurs from across the BRICS bloc and partner countries to chart a shared roadmap for small business development.

Who Was at the Table

The forum drew senior government officials, private sector stakeholders, and MSME representatives from 14 nations — including Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, South Africa, the UAE, Belarus, Cuba, Malaysia, Uganda, and India. The event opened with an exhibition showcasing MSME diversity and excellence across sectors, underlining the breadth of the bloc's small-business landscape.

Key Themes and Deliberations

The Third SME Working Group Meeting anchored the forum's substantive agenda under the theme 'Building MSME Ecosystem — Sustainable Roots to Global Routes'. Two parallel sessions ran alongside: one for private sector stakeholders from BRICS member countries, and the other for government working group delegates. Member countries shared policy experiences and interventions aimed at strengthening MSME frameworks at home and integrating them into global value chains.

What India's Ministers Said

Union Minister for MSMEs Jitan Ram Manjhi stressed the critical role of small businesses as engines of economic growth, innovation, and employment across BRICS nations and the Global South. He called for stronger BRICS-wide cooperation on affordable finance, technology adoption, digital transformation, market access, skilling, and sustainability, reiterating India's commitment to building a resilient and inclusive MSME ecosystem.

MSME Secretary Bharat Khera, in his keynote at the inaugural session, urged member nations to move beyond dialogue toward actionable cooperation. He spotlighted India's digital public infrastructure as a transformative tool for empowering small businesses and called for deeper collaboration to integrate MSMEs into global value chains.

Outcomes and the Road Ahead

Delegates collectively reaffirmed the vital role of MSMEs in employment generation, innovation, and inclusive development. They emphasised enhanced cooperation to promote resilient supply chains, foster digital transformation, and facilitate knowledge sharing across the bloc. This comes amid a broader BRICS push to reduce dependence on Western-dominated financial and trade systems, with MSMEs increasingly seen as a vehicle for South-South economic integration. The forum's outcomes are expected to feed into the broader BRICS Leaders' Summit agenda later this year.