World
BRICS Role in Development of Polycentric World
By Professor Maurice Okoli
At the Konstantinovsky Palace in St. Petersburg, Russian President Vladimir Putin held his first meeting with Dilma Rousseff, President of the New Development Bank (NDB), established by the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) in 2015. Rousseff, the first woman to lead the bank, was appointed to head it earlier this year by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
It is a multilateral development bank established with an initial capital of $100 billion. According to the NDB’s stipulated primary functions, it has to cooperate with international organizations and other financial entities and provide technical assistance for projects to be supported by the Bank.
Taking this into account, the main objectives of the NDB can be summarized as follows: promote infrastructure and sustainable development projects with a significant development impact in member countries; establish an extensive network of global partnerships with other multilateral development institutions and national development banks; build a balanced project portfolio giving proper respect to their geographic location, financing requirements and other factors.
The idea for setting up the bank was proposed by India at the 4th BRICS summit in 2012 held in Delhi but was finally created three years later. On 21 December 2016, the NDB signed its first loan agreement. The bank issued loans of up to $40 billion by 2022 in South Africa. Since its creation, it has supported various projects in member countries.
In early March 2022, in response to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the New Development Bank announced that it had put new transactions with Russia on hold. Russia launched its special military operation on neighbouring Ukraine. The NDB, the multilateral bank set up by the BRICS states, is not considering new projects in Russia as it operates in line with restrictions imposed in financial and capital markets.
Late July bilateral meeting between Putin and the former Brazilian President Rousseff was to discuss BRICS financial questions and emerging geopolitical developments. Russia and Brazil are staunch members; notably, in 2014, Putin and Rousseff stood firmly at the origins of the creation of this financial structure.
In today’s changing conditions, BRICS has been very concerned about de-dollarization and strongly advocating for its currency. Thus, in the discussions on July 26 in St. Petersburg, Putin stressed doubtlessly that Rousseff used her rich experience in public work and knowledge in this area to develop the institution, which is very important in today’s time.
In today’s conditions, this is not easy to do, given what is happening in world finance and the use of the dollar as an instrument of political struggle. But the members of BRICS are not “friends” against someone; they work in each other’s interests. This also applies to the financial sector.
“In general, we are good participants in this organization; we fulfil everything on time, all our obligations to it. We know that there is a question about the liquidity of the bank; there are some ideas that come from you, from your staff, and we will support this,” Putin said at the meeting. “Relations between our countries in the BRICS are developing in national currencies, and settlements are increasing. In this regard, the bank can also play a significant role in the development of joint activities.”
It was not the first time that Dilma Rousseff visited St. Petersburg. She vividly recalled that in 2013 she was part of the G20 summit held in Konstantinovsky Palace. She stressed in comments: “I am very glad to see you again, and we really stood at the origins of the creation of the New Development Bank at the Fortaleza summit in 2014.”
The world is really now going through a period of a number of challenges; there are crisis trends and inflation in the countries of the developed world; in the developing world, countries are facing the problem of debt. And, of course, first of all, the countries of the developing world are now in difficult conditions, according to Rousseff.
Undoubtedly, the Russia-Africa summit is very important for those who are interested in the development of the Global South. Russia is a very important partner within the framework of the BRICS, within the framework of the New Development Bank, and indeed fulfils all of its obligations to them. Indeed, the bank faces a number of problems, and above all, it concerns liquidity.
The Bank should play an important role in the development of a multipolar, polycentric world. We must be determined to raise funds in the markets of partner countries. I also believe that there are no obstacles for the countries of the developing world to carry out their foreign trade operations in national currencies among themselves.
“Our development strategy for the period from 2022 to 2026 assumes that about 30 per cent of the funds should be raised in domestic markets. It is also very important to raise funds in different currencies, not only in dollars or euros,” Rousseff noted, and added, “We are very aware of the difficulties that developing countries face in raising funds. They need resources to finance infrastructure projects, to build digital logistics, social logistics and, of course, also to solve environmental problems.”
Rousseff welcomed the initiative to host the Russia-Africa summit because most of these African countries are often left without the necessary resources. Everyone focuses on the issue of their debt, ignoring the need for resources that are observed there. And it seems unacceptable to impose any conditions and requirements in exchange for funding, as is done now by international multilateral organizations. Most of these questions are on the agenda during the next 15th BRICS summit scheduled for August 22nd – 24th, 2023, at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The issues of expanding the institute by admitting countries of the developing world into it are also a priority. Rousseff added she would also meet South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in Russia, where she expects to discuss the expansion of the bank, which in recent years admitted the United Arab Emirates, Bangladesh and Egypt as members.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, during a meeting in May 2023, with Rousseff, said that the goal of the BRICS bank was to protect the trade and economic relations of the union from the impact of sanctions from unfriendly countries. From the bank’s activities, Russia expects the strengthening of investment cooperation in the BRICS format, the promotion of promising projects in various fields, and the emergence of new points of growth for the national economies of the five states.
In May 2022, the New Development Bank set up a regional office in India in the state of Gujarat to finance and observe infrastructure projects in both India and Bangladesh. In May 2023, Saudi Arabia expressed its intention to join the NDB. Currently, more than 40 countries have expressed a desire to join the BRICS group. That BRICS has the potential to become a global player is a fact since more countries intend to join the group, and if we look carefully, each of them has significant assets to contribute: some have huge financial potential, others have huge demographic potential, others have expertise in particular industries.
More countries have become interested in joining the group: Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkye, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zimbabwe. This growing interest in the BRICS project has various underlying motivations, which have to be accommodated within the broader framework.
Historically, the first meeting of the group began in St Petersburg in 2005. It was called RIC, which stood for Russia, India and China. Then, Brazil and, subsequently, South Africa joined later, which is why it is now referred to as BRICS. The BRICS member countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) collectively represent about 26% of the world’s geographic area and are home to 2.88 billion people, about 42% of the world’s population.
By Professor Maurice Okoli is a fellow at the Institute for African Studies and the Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Russian Academy of Sciences. He is also a fellow at the North-Eastern Federal University of Russia.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
For transforming cross-border payments through its deployment with Global Money Exchange, Comviva has been named Best In-Class Cross Border Payments.
The global leader in digital transformation solutions clinched this latest accolade at the IBS Intelligence Global FinTech Innovation Award 2025.
The recognition highlights how Comviva’s mobiquity Pay is helping shape a modern cross-border payment ecosystem that stretches far beyond conventional remittance services.
Deployed as a white label Wallet Platform and launched as Global Pay Oman App, it fulfils GMEC’s dual vision—positioning itself as an innovative payment service provider while digitally extending its core money transfer business.
The solution allows GMEC to offer international money transfers alongside seamless forex ordering and other services. These capabilities sit alongside a broad suite of everyday financial services, including bill and utility payments, merchant transactions, education-related payments, and other digital conveniences — all delivered through one unified experience.
“This award is a testament to Oman’s accelerating digital transformation and our commitment to reshaping how cross-border payments serve people and businesses across the Sultanate.
“By partnering with Comviva and bringing the Global Pay Oman Super App, we have moved beyond traditional remittance services to create a truly inclusive and future-ready financial ecosystem.
“This innovation is not only enhancing convenience and transparency for our customers but is also supporting Oman’s broader vision of building a digitally empowered economy,” the Managing Director at Global Money Exchange, Subromoniyan K.S, said.
Also commenting, the chief executive of Comviva, Mr Rajesh Chandiramani, said, “Cross-border payments are becoming a daily necessity, not a niche service, particularly for migrant and trade-linked economies.
“This recognition from IBS Intelligence validates our focus on building payment platforms that combine global reach with local relevance, operational resilience and a strong user experience. The deployment with Global Money Exchange Co. demonstrates how mobiquity® Pay enables financial institutions to move beyond remittances and deliver integrated digital services at scale.”
“The deployment of mobiquity Pay for GMEC showcases how scalable, API-driven digital wallet platforms can transform cross-border payments into seamless, value-rich experiences.
“By integrating remittances, bill payments, forex services, and AI-powered engagement into a unified Super App, Comviva has reimagined customer journeys and operational agility.
“This Best-in-Class Cross-border Payments award win stands as a testament to Comviva’s excellence in enabling financial institutions to compete and grow in a digitally convergent world,” the Director for Research and Digital Properties at IBS Intelligence, Nikhil Gokhale, said.
By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh
At the end of an extensive consultation with African foreign ministers, Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, has emphasized that Moscow would advance its economic engagement across Africa, admittedly outlining obstacles delaying the prompt implementation of several initiatives set forth in Strategic Action Plan (2023-2026) approved in St. Petersburg during the Russia-Africa Summit.
The second Ministerial Conference, by the Russian Foreign Ministry with support from Roscongress Foundation and the Arab Republic of Egypt, marked an important milestone towards raising bilateral investment and economic cooperation.
In Cairo, the capital city of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Lavrov read out the final resolution script, in a full-packed conference hall, and voiced strong confidence that Moscow would achieve its strategic economic goals with Africa, with support from the African Union (AU) and other Regional Economic blocs in the subsequent years. Despite the complexities posed by the Russia-Ukraine crisis, combined with geopolitical conditions inside the African continent, Moscow however reiterated its position to take serious steps in finding pragmatic prospects for mutual cooperation and improve multifaceted relations with Africa, distinctively in the different sectors: in trade, economic and investment spheres, education and culture, humanitarian and other promising areas.
The main event was the plenary session co-chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration, and Egyptians Abroad Bashar Abdelathi. Welcome messages from Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egyptian President Abdelhak Sisi were read.
And broadly, the meeting participants compared notes on the most pressing issues on the international and Russian-African agendas, with a focus on the full implementation of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum Action Plan for 2023-2026, approved at the second Russia-Africa Summit in St. Petersburg in 2023.
In addition, on the sidelines of the conference, Lavrov held talks with his African counterparts, and a number of bilateral documents were signed. A thematic event was held with the participation of Russian and African relevant agencies and organizations, aimed at unlocking the potential of trilateral Russia-Egypt-Africa cooperation in trade, economic, and educational spheres.
With changing times, Africa is rapidly becoming one of the key centers of a multipolar world order. It is experiencing a second awakening. Following their long-ago political independence, African countries are increasingly insisting on respect for their sovereignty and their right to independently manage their resources and destiny. Based on these conditions, it was concluded that Moscow begins an effective and comprehensive work on preparing a new three-year Cooperation and Joint Action Plan between Russia and Africa.
Moreover, these important areas of joint practical work are already detailed in the Joint Statement, which was unanimously approved and will serve as an important guideline for future work. According to reports, the Joint Statement reflects the progress of discussions on international and regional issues, as well as matters of global significance.
Following the conference, the Joint Statement adopted reflects shared approaches to addressing challenges and a mutual commitment to strengthening multifaceted cooperation with a view to ensuring high-quality preparation for the third Russia-Africa Summit in 2026.
On December 19-20, the Second Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum was held in Cairo, Egypt. It was held for the first time on the African continent, attended by heads and representatives of the foreign policy ministries of 52 African states and the executive bodies of eight regional integration associations.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Social media platform, TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance has signed binding agreements with United States and global investors to operate its business in America.
Half of the joint venture will be owned by a group of investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake and the Emirati investment firm MGX, according to a memo sent by chief executive, Mr Shou Zi Chew.
The deal, which is set to close on January 22, 2026 would end years of efforts by the US government to force ByteDance to sell its US operations over national security concerns.
It is in line with a deal unveiled in September, when US President Donald Trump delayed the enforcement of a law that would ban the app unless it was sold.
In the memo, TikTok said the deal will enable “over 170 million Americans to continue discovering a world of endless possibilities as part of a vital global community”.
Under the agreement, ByteDance will retain 19.9 per cent of the business, while Oracle, Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based MGX will hold 15 per cent each.
Another 30.1 per cent will be held by affiliates of existing ByteDance investors, according to the memo.
The White House previously said that Oracle, which was co-founded by President Trump’s supporter Larry Ellison, will license TikTok’s recommendation algorithm as part of the deal.
The deal comes after a series of delays.
Business Post reported in April 2024 that the administration of President Joe Biden passed a law to ban the app over national security concerns, unless it was sold.
The law was set to go into effect on January 20, 2025 but was pushed back multiple times by President Trump, while his administration worked out a deal to transfer ownership.
President Trump said in September that he had spoken on the phone to China’s President Xi Jinping, who he said had given the deal the go ahead.
The platform’s future remained unclear after the leaders met face to face in October.
The app’s fate was clouded by ongoing tensions between the two nations on trade and other matters.
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