India’s Digital Diplomacy and the BRICS Third Way

This strategy creates an export paradox for India. By advocating for architecture and design principles—such as the India Stack—rather than pushing finished products, New Delhi is successfully embedding its philosophy into the digital foundations of 24 partner nations. The goal is to provide Global South economies with the agency to integrate diverse technologies from American, Chinese, and European providers without surrendering control over their critical digital rails.

Interoperability acts as a form of strategic autonomy. By focusing on how national systems communicate, countries like Indonesia are connecting their local payment rails, such as QRIS, with foreign counterparts like India’s UPI without sacrificing domestic oversight. However, this model requires significant orchestration capacity. As seen in the failed rollout of Bangladesh’s Binimoy platform, technical connectivity is insufficient without strong institutional alignment and governance. The subsequent shift toward open-source frameworks like Mojaloop highlights a growing trend: states are increasingly seeking to reduce dependence on proprietary foreign technology by adopting standards that favor local customization and control. As artificial intelligence integration becomes a priority for BRICS, the ability to maintain a multiplex digital ecosystem will define which nations retain genuine economic leverage in an increasingly fragmented global landscape.