Prime Minister Narendra Modi used the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi to deliver a pointed message: India intends to transform BRICS from a geopolitical forum into a functioning economic and technological platform with measurable, real-world impact. His address foregrounded resilient supply chains, critical technologies, green energy, startup ecosystems, and structural reform of global governance institutions — signalling a strategic shift in how New Delhi views multilateral engagement.

From Rule-Taker to Rule-Shaper

At the heart of Modi's pitch was a call for the Global South to stop accepting global rules written by others and begin shaping them. He argued that developing economies remain disproportionately exposed to global crises — from trade wars to energy disruptions — while holding minimal influence in the institutions that govern responses to those crises. India is pushing for greater representation of emerging and developing economies within the United Nations system and other multilateral bodies.

This framing is consistent with India's broader diplomatic posture: New Delhi has repeatedly argued that Bretton Woods-era institutions no longer reflect the weight of the Global South in the 21st-century world economy. The BRICS platform, in India's reading, can serve as a pressure valve — demanding structural reform without triggering a full rupture with Western-led institutions.

Startups and Tech at the Centre of the BRICS Agenda

Notably, the New Delhi Declaration welcomed the establishment of a BRICS Incubator Network, signalled further consideration of a BRICS Startup Innovation Fund, and called for deeper cooperation through the BRICS Startup Knowledge Hub and Startup Forum. This places startups — not just state enterprises or trade policy — at the core of BRICS economic cooperation.

According to analysis of the summit outcomes, India understands that economic power in the emerging world order will increasingly be measured in artificial intelligence, fintech, biotechnology, energy storage, advanced manufacturing, space technologies, cybersecurity, and digital infrastructure. Connecting startup ecosystems across India, China, Brazil, Russia, and the UAE could create a significant cross-border technological marketplace.

India's Strategic Positioning Within BRICS

For New Delhi, the BRICS framework serves a dual purpose. It allows India to build an alternative ecosystem of economic cooperation capable of surviving geopolitical shocks — including trade wars, energy disruptions, and fractured global supply chains — while simultaneously maintaining its multi-alignment. India currently holds deep ties with Russia, competes strategically with China, and is expanding economic and security partnerships with the United States, Europe, Japan, and other Indo-Pacific partners.

This is India's fundamental tension within BRICS: participating in an expanded forum that includes geopolitical rivals while ensuring the platform does not force New Delhi into a rigid anti-Western bloc. Modi's emphasis on economic and technological cooperation — rather than currency alternatives or anti-dollar rhetoric — appears calibrated to navigate exactly that tension.

What India Wants From BRICS Next

India reportedly wants capital, technology, and talent to circulate through new multilateral channels — and is positioning its own startup ecosystem as a connective bridge between BRICS member economies. Whether the BRICS Startup Innovation Fund moves from proposal to operational reality will be a key indicator of whether this summit's ambitions translate into structural change. Sectoral follow-through on the New Delhi Declaration will be closely watched in the months ahead.