BRICS officially welcomed its five new members on the first day of the New Year. Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were invited to join the bloc in August 2023, and their membership took effect on January 1, 2024. This marks the second expansion of the group after South Africa in 2010 joined original members Brazil, Russia, India and China. Over 40 nations have expressed interest in joining BRICS and over 20 have formally asked to be admitted. International scholars shared their expectations for the expansion.