South Africa Prepares for BRICS Presidency with Multipolar Finance Agenda
The 2025 presidency will prioritize cross-border payment systems and development finance alternatives to Western institutions.
South Africa will assume the rotating presidency of BRICS in January 2026, with Pretoria signaling an ambitious agenda focused on financial infrastructure that reduces dependence on Western-dominated payment systems and development institutions.
Key priorities include expanding the use of local currencies in intra-BRICS trade, establishing a shared payment infrastructure for cross-border transactions, and strengthening the New Development Bank's lending capacity.
The agenda reflects South Africa's broader foreign policy orientation toward the Global South and multipolarity, though officials insist this does not mean abandoning Western trade relationships that still account for the majority of South African exports.