Iran says it will soon join BRICS development bank

Iran says it will soon join BRICS development bank
People walk past an anti-U.S. billboard on a street in Tehran, Iran, 3 August 2026.
Reuters

Iran will soon join the New Development Bank (NDB), the lender established by BRICS nations, Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati said in a state media report on Wednesday ahead of a BRICS finance meeting in India.

Iran remains under sweeping U.S. and international sanctions and has yet to reach a peace deal to end the current conflict with the U.S. and Israel, giving Tehran an added incentive to seek alternative financial channels outside the dollar system.

Iran moves towards NDB membership

Iran joined BRICS in 2024 as the group expanded, aiming to deepen economic ties among emerging economies. It has since made clear its desire to become a member and shareholder of the New Development Bank.

The bank was established by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa in 2015 to finance infrastructure and sustainable development projects. It has since expanded its membership to include the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and other emerging economies.

"The most important result of cooperation among BRICS member countries is the establishment of the New Development Bank, and our country will soon become a member of this bank," Hemmati said, according to state media.

Hemmati is attending the first meeting of BRICS finance ministers and central bank governors, hosted by India, which holds the rotating BRICS chairmanship this year.

BRICS seeks to reduce reliance on the dollar

BRICS members have sought to reduce their reliance on the U.S. dollar by promoting trade and financial transactions in national currencies.

Hemmati said Iran believed BRICS members could conduct trade using their national currencies and that Tehran was seeking bilateral and trilateral monetary cooperation with other members.

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