The BRICS alliance invited six new countries to join the bloc during last year's summit in Johannesburg. The 15th summit in 2023 saw BRICS sending invitations for expansion to Saudi Arabia, UAE, Argentina, Egypt, Iran, and Ethiopia. However, only four out of the six invited countries joined BRICS this year in 2024. Argentina rejected the BRICS invitation and Saudi Arabia kept the decision to join the group on hold. Read here to know when Saudi Arabia plans to join BRICS.

The BRICS expansion is a hot topic as several developing countries want to be a part of the grouping. Many developing nations believe BRICS is the only group that can help their native economies de-dollarize and strengthen their respective local currencies.