Reuters: India Proposes Including CBDC Interoperability Issue on Agenda for 2026 BRICS Summit

BlockBeats News, January 19th, according to Reuters, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), India's central bank, has proposed an initiative to connect central bank digital currencies among BRICS countries to facilitate cross-border trade and tourism payments.

Reuters cited two anonymous sources who said that the proposal will include the CBDC interoperability issue on the agenda of the 2026 BRICS Summit, which is expected to be hosted by India. The report noted that if accepted by the Indian government and BRICS partner countries, this would be the first formal consideration within the group (comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) of central bank digital currency interoperability.

Although the proposal aims to reduce friction and costs in cross-border payments, sources told Reuters that the discussions are still at an early stage and agreement is needed on technology, governance, and settlement arrangements.