BRICS GK Notes

BRICS GK NOTES

🔹 What is BRICS?

BRICS is a grouping/forum of major emerging economies that promotes cooperation in economic, financial, political, social and developmental areas.

BRICS = Brazil + Russia + India + China + South Africa

🔹 BRICS: Basic Facts

BRICS full form: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa
Original grouping: BRIC
BRIC term coined: 2001
Coined by: Jim O’Neill, Goldman Sachs
First BRIC Summit: 2009
First Summit Venue: Yekaterinburg, Russia
South Africa joined: 2011
BRIC became BRICS: After South Africa joined
Nature: International forum/grouping
Permanent headquarters: No
Permanent secretariat: No
Constitutive treaty: No
Decision-making: Generally based on consensus
Chairmanship: Rotates annually

🔹 Current BRICS Members

As of 2026, BRICS has 11 full members:

🇧🇷 Brazil
🇷🇺 Russia
🇮🇳 India
🇨🇳 China
🇿🇦 South Africa
🇪🇬 Egypt
🇪🇹 Ethiopia
🇮🇷 Iran
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates (UAE)
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
🇮🇩 Indonesia

Important: Indonesia became a full BRICS member in January 2025.

🔹 BRICS Expansion

Original BRIC

Brazil + Russia + India + China

South Africa

Joined the grouping in 2011
BRIC → BRICS

Expansion decided in 2023

At the 15th BRICS Summit, Johannesburg (2023), expansion was decided.

New members included:

Egypt
Ethiopia
Iran
Saudi Arabia
UAE

Indonesia was subsequently admitted as a full member in 2025.

🔹 Purpose / Objectives of BRICS

The major objectives of BRICS are:

Promote economic cooperation among member countries.
Increase trade and investment.
Promote financial cooperation.
Support infrastructure and sustainable development.
Strengthen cooperation among countries of the Global South.
Promote cooperation in science, technology and innovation.
Cooperate in areas such as health, education, agriculture and energy.
Encourage greater coordination on global governance reforms.
Increase the voice and representation of emerging and developing economies in international institutions.
Promote peace, sustainable development and inclusive growth.

One-Liner

BRICS aims to strengthen cooperation among emerging and developing economies and increase their role in global governance.

🔹 Three Main Pillars of BRICS

BRICS cooperation broadly covers three pillars:

Political & Security Cooperation
Economic & Financial Cooperation
Cultural & People-to-People Cooperation

Exam Point: These three pillars are specifically highlighted in the expanded BRICS framework.

🔹 New Development Bank (NDB)

NDB = New Development Bank

Established: 2015
Agreement signed: 2014
Headquarters: Shanghai, China
Founding countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China & South Africa
First President: K. V. Kamath (India)
Present President: Dilma Rousseff
Main purpose: Financing infrastructure and sustainable development projects
NDB is also known as the BRICS Bank.

Exam Trick

NDB → New Development Bank → Shanghai → 2015 → K. V. Kamath (First President)

🔹 Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA)

Established: 2014
Purpose: Provides financial support to member countries facing balance-of-payments or liquidity pressures.
It is an important part of BRICS financial cooperation.
Initial arrangement: US$100 billion

Remember

NDB → Development Projects
CRA → Financial/Currency Support

🔹 Important BRICS Summits

Year	Summit	Country
2009	1st BRIC Summit	Russia
2010	2nd BRIC Summit	Brazil
2011	3rd BRICS Summit	China
2012	4th BRICS Summit	India
2013	5th BRICS Summit	South Africa
2014	6th BRICS Summit	Brazil
2015	7th BRICS Summit	Russia
2016	8th BRICS Summit	India
2021	13th BRICS Summit	India – Virtual
2023	15th BRICS Summit	South Africa
2024	16th BRICS Summit	Russia
2025	17th BRICS Summit	Brazil
2026	18th BRICS Summit	India

The official BRICS record lists the annual summit declarations and confirms the sequence of summits.

🔹 BRICS & India – Important Facts

India is a founding member of BRIC.
India hosted the 4th BRICS Summit – New Delhi, 2012.
India hosted the 8th BRICS Summit – Goa, 2016.
India hosted the 13th BRICS Summit – Virtual, 2021.
India is the BRICS Chair in 2026.
The 18th BRICS Summit is scheduled to be held in India in 2026.

🔹 BRICS Partner Countries

BRICS also created a Partner Country category.

In 2025, partner countries included:

Belarus
Bolivia
Cuba
Kazakhstan
Malaysia
Nigeria
Thailand
Uganda
Uzbekistan

Important: Do not confuse full members with partner countries.

🔹 Important BRICS One-Liners

BRICS stands for: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa.
BRIC term coined in: 2001.
BRIC term coined by: Jim O’Neill.
First BRIC Summit: 2009.
First Summit held at: Yekaterinburg, Russia.
South Africa joined: 2011.
BRIC became BRICS: 2011.
BRICS has no permanent headquarters.
BRICS has no permanent secretariat.
NDB headquarters: Shanghai, China.
NDB established: 2015.
First NDB President: K. V. Kamath.
NDB focuses on: Infrastructure & sustainable development.
CRA established: 2014.
Current full members: 11.
Indonesia became full member: 2025.
2025 BRICS Chair: Brazil.
2026 BRICS Chair: India.
2026 BRICS Summit: India.

🔹 Quick Revision Trick

BRICS Original 5:

B – Brazil
R – Russia
I – India
C – China
S – South Africa

Newer Full Members:

Egypt + Ethiopia + Iran + UAE + Saudi Arabia + Indonesia

Key Institutions:

NDB → Development Finance
CRA → Financial Support

Most Important Years:

2001 → BRIC term
2009 → First Summit
2011 → South Africa joined
2014 → NDB Agreement + CRA
2015 → NDB established
2023 → Major expansion decision
2025 → Indonesia became full member
2026 → India BRICS Chair

Exam Focus

For competitive exams, remember these 5 facts first:

1. BRIC term → 2001 → Jim O’Neill
2. First Summit → 2009 → Russia
3. South Africa → 2011
4. NDB → 2015 → Shanghai → K. V. Kamath (First President)
5. Current full members → 11; India is Chair in 2026

Disclaimer: This post is intended for educational and competitive exam preparation purposes. Facts and figures are based on available official sources and may change with time. Always verify the latest updates before exams.