BRICS After Expansion: What Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Ethiopia Bring to the New Global Power Balance

• The Arab Post
• . September 11, 2026
• . Update: September 11, 2026 6:28 pm
• 9 Views

This is a historic point in time for international geopolitics. Since the BRICS bloc’s expansion, its influence on international economics has been enormous and cannot be underestimated. BRICS After Expansion, Joining forces with stronghold regional states, BRICS has transformed itself from a group of emerging markets into a significant counterweight to Western global institutions. With countries seeking unconventional financial solutions today, the BRICS global power equilibrium has changed forever. So the question is, what do its new members offer? Let’s see how the Egypt Saudi Arabia Ethiopia BRICS combination has modified the rules of the Global South.

Shifting the BRICS Global Power Balance: Strategic Value of New Members

The participation of the three mentioned nations is not a coincidence since all of them have unique strategic assets that considerably increase their geopolitical and economic significance.

Saudi Arabia: Capital and Unrivaled Oil Reserves

Since its inception, Saudi Arabia has been linked to Western security and US dollars. Its participation is a monumental transformation of the global financial system.

• The Kingdom is offering a great amount of liquidity and sovereign wealth to the BRICS. 
• Saudi Arabia has enormous influence in global energy markets due to its oil reserves, which gives this group an advantage in the global fossil fuel market. 
• Saudi Arabia’s membership enables the New Development Bank (NDB) to obtain credibility and financial resources required for successful lending operations to the countries of the developing world. 

Egypt: The Suez Canal and Maritime Trade

Located at a strategic position between Africa, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean Sea, Egypt serves as an extremely important transport center.

• With the Suez canal under its control, Egypt gives BRICS direct access to an important worldwide maritime chokepoint controlling around 12% of all world trade. 
• Egypt has great diplomatic connections with all countries belonging to the Arab League. 
• Moreover, Egypt, as the first country of the enlarged group to get shareholdings in NDB, seeks to provide sustainable infrastructure financing to stabilize the economy. 

Ethiopia: The Demographic and Diplomatic Hub of Africa

Ethiopia is regarded as one of the most rapidly developing nations in Africa and is home to the headquarters of the African Union.

• The country contributes enormous demographic strength to the organization by having a sizeable, significantly increasing population of 120 million. 
• Ethiopia is located in the Horn of Africa and holds a significant strategic position that is close to the Red Sea and complements Egyptian sea dominance. 
• The arrival of Ethiopia increases the voice of the Global South and meaks the organization deal with developmental disparities.

Driving De-Dollarization and the New Development Bank

One of the main goals of BRICS expansion is to eliminate dependence on the USD and traditional SWIFT payment. This process, known as de-dollarization, is underway at a rapid pace.

Put simply, through the use of local currencies for trade, members can avoid Western sanctions and limit exchange-rate risks. For example, the New Development Bank is committed to issuing 30% of all its loans in the currencies of BRICS countries. Notably, thanks to petrodollars from Saudi Arabia, manufacturing supremacy of China, and cooperation between emerging economies, the organization actively tests the limits of bilateral currency swaps.

Member governments may take advantage of the practice of conducting a large portion of their transactions in local currencies, which means successfully overcoming Western sanctions and preventing currency fluctuations. The New Development Bank has set the target of making sure that at least 30% of all loans are issued in the national currency of member countries. The BRICS group has already started bilateral currency swaps, with billions of dollars generated by oil sales in Saudi Arabia, China’s success in manufacturing, and developing markets all supporting the process. Such digital payment platforms may potentially equal traditional lenders like the World Bank. 

What is unclear, however, is whether BRICS will thrive or become a new world power. Adding new countries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Ethiopia will put BRICS in an ideal geographical location, with impressive oil reserves and huge diplomatic influence. By becoming active advocates for de-dollarization and boosting the New Development Bank, the Egypt-Saudi Arabia-Ethiopia BRICS group may provide the Global South a chance not only to engage in the world economy, but also gain the ability to dictate its rules.

FAQs – BRICS After Expansion

Q1: What does BRICS after expansion look like? 

A: The bloc which is made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa expanded in 2024 to include also Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE forming the dominating economic coalition which controls almost 50% of the world population. 

Q2: How does the Egypt Saudi Arabia Ethiopia BRICS integration change global trade? 

A: Creating secure and significant trade routes (such as the Suez Canal and the Horn of Africa) and controlling global energy resources will significantly shift the power center from BRICS to East and the Global South.

Q3: What is the New Development Bank’s role in this expansion? 

A: The New Development Bank is the financial mover of the bloc in funding green infrastructure projects and supporting de-dollarization process by allowing the members’ countries to borrow, invest and trade in their national currencies.

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