$1 Tn Capital, Cross-Border Investments: What’s In Focus At iBRICS Summit In Delhi

India’s BRICS chairship will put $1 trillion in global sovereign capital in focus as more than 500 institutional investors, finance ministers and business leaders gather in New Delhi on September 12-13 for the inaugural iBRICS Summit.

Convened by the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute (SWFI) alongside the BRICS Leaders’ Summit, the meeting will examine how sovereign wealth funds, pension funds and family offices can deploy capital across BRICS economies amid changing trade and financial conditions, as per a report by ANI.

The iBRICS gathering is separate from the main BRICS Leaders’ Summit, which India will host at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on September 12-13.

The 2026 chairship is being guided by the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, reflecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Humanity First” approach, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

What's In Focus At SWFI Summit?

A key focus will be cross-border investment and ways to move capital outside conventional dollar-based channels.

A closed-door roundtable of about 250 participants will discuss non-dollar settlement corridors and capital deployment targets, per ANI.

The summit will also feature discussions on connecting national fast-payment systems, including India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and Brazil’s Pix, as well as interoperability between central bank digital currencies (CBDCs).

The meeting is reportedly intended to bridge the gap between large pools of institutional capital and bankable projects across infrastructure, technology, critical minerals, energy transition and digital capacity.

The event comes as BRICS members seek to adapt to shifting trade flows, US tariff pressures and the cost of dollar clearing.

"With tariffs and sanctions stressing traditional corridors, funds and ministries need direct access to allocate capital differently," said Lakshmi Narayanan, chairman of SWFI and lead co-chair of iBRICS, per ANI.

Sovereign Capital Compact And Deal-Making

The first day is expected to include the signing of a proposed “Sovereign Capital Compact” on September 12.

The second day will centre on pre-matched bilateral meetings and sector-specific roundtables, giving project owners and investors an opportunity to discuss potential transactions, as per Mint.

"BRICS countries hold a massive share of world reserves and are building the rails to move capital independently. The missing link has been matching that capital directly with bankable projects. 12 September is where project owners and global allocators sit down to make that match," said Dushyant Khanna, Co-Chair of iBRICS, per Mint.