Perhaps most importantly our mid-2024 call on the "Great re-configuration" of the global economy towards greater South-South economic cooperation - this is a trend that has been borne out by the figures in 2024 and 2025 on the rising scale of South-South trade
Wednesday, December 31, 2025
Dear colleagues, as the year 2025 draws to a close, we would like to thank our clients and our readers for all the support and the productive discussions over the year. Your feedback and insights have inspired us throughout the year and provided fresh impulses to new ideas and discoveries!
In 2025 we visited Brazil (the chair of the BRICS bloc in 2025) and reported back to you on the BRICS-related discussions as well as the developments in Brazil's economy. We have also launched our video section along with a section on the key links to the world of BRICS+ connections. Our subscriber base continued to grow at a rapid clip in 2025 (more than 40%), with the number of active users and new users doubling in 2025. In terms of new users, the top 5 countries in 2025 were the US (more than 100% increase), Russia, China, Brazil and India.
In line with tradition, we look back at the developments over 2025 that we have discussed and highlighted to our clients and readers in earlier research:
1. Perhaps most importantly our mid-2024 call on the "Great re-configuration" of the global economy towards greater South-South economic cooperation - this is a trend that has been borne out by the figures in 2024 and 2025 on the rising scale of South-South trade - according to UNCTAD, "East Asia recorded the strongest export growth over the past year (9%), supported by a 10% surge in intra-regional trade. Africa also performed strongly, with imports up 10% and exports 6%. South-South trade expanded around 8%, reflecting deepening economic ties among developing economies. India and China also posted some of the strongest growth in services exports, underscoring the growing weight of emerging economies in global trade".
2. In 2024 we argued in favor of the creation of a global platform for land restoration and in 2025 such a platform has in fact been created by BRICS economies, with the BRICS 2025 summit declaration stating: "we welcome the launch of the BRICS Partnership for Land Restoration, in line with the framework of the UNCCD, and the first BRICS AWG Report".
3. The BRICS Troika concept was advanced by BRICS+ Analytics in March 2025 - by mid-2025 it has been adopted for the BRICS Youth track as stated in the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Youth Affairs. We observe that leading think-tanks from BRICS economies such as the ORF are advocating the adoption of the BRICS Troika framework to support the succession in the bloc's presidencies.
4. The year 2025 was a breakthrough year for the relations between ASEAN and BRICS on the back of Indonesia's accession to BRICS as a full-fledged member and 3 ASEAN's key economies - Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam - becoming BRICS partners in 2025. The presidency of ASEAN as represented by Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was invited to the BRICS+ summit in Brazil, while Brazil's President Lula attended the ASEAN summit in 2025 held in Malaysia. We were among the very first to point to the scope and the possibility for closer ties between ASEAN and BRICS as early as in 2023-2024. Our BRICS+ framework created in 2017 was based on the cooperation among the regional integration blocs of the Global South, including ASEAN.
5. We argued in favor of regional development banks from the Global South being invited to the BRICS summits with the view to forming a platform for regional development institutions in the future - this has been undertaken by Brazil during the BRICS+ summit in 2025 with the invitation of regional development banks such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean. These development banks participated in the BRICS+ meetings together with the New Development Bank. Such a format of inviting the regional development banks to participate in the BRICS+ summit was a welcome novelty compared to the outreach exercises of the past.
6 We called for the WTO head to be invited to the BRICS summit - this has in fact taken place for the first time in BRICS summits, with the head of the WTO attending the BRICS+ meetings - in effect, this is the start of what we refer to as the BRICS++ format, whereby global organizations participate in BRICS high-profile meetings
7. In 2024 we called for the BRICS to support the WTO entry bids of some of the BRICS economies such as Ethiopia - this has in fact been reflected in the final declaration of the BRICS summit in 2025 (article 13): "We strongly support Ethiopia and Iran's bid for accession to the WTO".
8. Back in 2023 we published an article on the expediency of a BRICS+ platform for cities, regions and municipalities - such a platform has in fact been launched in 2024 and has further expanded its operations in 2025.
9. We called for the creation of an SCO development bank in 2024 and the initiative has been approved at the SCO summit in 2025.
10. We called for the launching of an SCO+ format in 2022 (and earlier in 2018) and in 2025 this format has been conducted with the participation of regional integration blocs from Eurasia such as ASEAN.
11. We note that all Latin American economies that we singled out in mid-2023 as priority emerging economies for BRICS+ engagement participated in the BRICS+ format in 2025. Furthermore, 70% of the economies that we singled out for closer cooperation with BRICS are now part of the partnership belt or have participated in the BRICS+ outreach.
12. Ever since our R20 initiative in 2018[23] we have called for a greater role of regional development banks/multilateral development banks (including NDB) and regional integration arrangements at the G20 summits. In 2025 after the accession of the African Union into the G20 as a full-fledged member there was further "regional momentum" in the evolution of the G20 platform. In particular, the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) participated yet again in the summit as was the case in 2024 during Brazil's G20 presidency. Another crucial development with respect to the link of the G20 with regionalism was the invitation of the regional integration groupings from Africa, namely the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, the East African Community, the South African Development Community, the Economic Community of Central African States as well as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Malaysia was invited to the G20 summit as the chair in the ASEAN grouping.
There were many more initiatives and predictions that came to pass in 2025 (including the EFTA-Mercosur FTA accord, the EFTA-Singapore digital trade accord as well as other digital accords - all in line with the crystallization of the OASES platform concept for trade and digital economic cooperation), but our most important call not only in 2025 but ever since the launching of BRICS+ Analytics has been the call for greater trade cooperation and trade policy coordination among BRICS members. In 2025 during the extra-ordinary summit all these themes were at the very heart of the online summit's agenda. And in line with our early forecasts from 2017, the BRICS is moving to become one of the key potential platforms for a revitalized globalization effort in the world economy.
Overall, as my favorite tennis player Novak Djokovic would say: "Not too bad!" (with that perfect tinge of an Italian accent). Non male ! These achievements were to a significant degree the result of discussions with our readers and there will be more initiatives and proosals in 2026 - so stay tuned!
We look into the year 2026 with the hope of South-South cooperation becoming an even more powerful driver of the global economy. We continue to see tremendous potential in greater South-South trade liberalization and regional economic integration as key factors underpinning market openness and wealth generation across the developing world. One of the key events early on in 2026 will be the WTO's 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) that will take place from 26 to 29 March 2026 in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Our hope is that a new round of trade liberalization and WTO reform may be advanced during this decisive event.
With these observations let me express the hope for this coming year to be a breakthrough for the global economy in advancing higher growth, trade and international economic cooperation!
Happy New Year!
Yaroslav Lissovolik is a founder of BRICS+ Analytics.