India urges BRICS to link payments and open markets

India has called on BRICS member and partner countries to open their markets to one another, cut non-tariff barriers and link their payment systems, as the grouping gathers in New Delhi for the BRICS Business Forum ahead of the leaders' summit on September 11-13, 2026. Addressing the forum's opening session on Friday, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said supply chains would only be resilient when they run in both directions, and urged members to improve access for goods including raw materials and critical minerals. He said non-tariff measures impose export costs that can exceed those of tariffs themselves, and called on members to simplify regulatory procedures and speed up the clearance of consignments. Goyal also pressed for deeper cooperation in services, including easier cross-border movement of skilled professionals and mutual recognition of professional qualifications. He highlighted India's digital public infrastructure, saying the Unified Payments Interface now handles more than 250 billion transactions a year, more than half of global transactions by volume, and is accepted in 11 countries.