The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Government of India, successfully hosted the Second Meeting of the BRICS Anti-Corruption Working Group and the Second Meeting of the BRICS Expert Network on Asset Recovery in Hyderabad, Telangana, on 4–5 August 2026, under India’s BRICS Presidency 2026.

The meetings were organized in line with the theme of India’s BRICS Presidency, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.” There was significant and substantive participation from all BRICS member countries, with senior policymakers, experts, practitioners and representatives of anti-corruption, financial intelligence and law-enforcement agencies sharing their views on various anti-corruption related matters.

The meeting was inaugurated by Ms. Rachna Shah, the Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training, who welcomed the delegations and highlighted India’s policy of zero tolerance against corruption. She emphasized that integrity is fundamental to good governance, sustainable development and public trust, and underscored the importance of strong institutions, technology-driven governance, transparency, accountability and sustained international cooperation.

The Secretary observed that the BRICS Anti-Corruption Working Group was increasingly evolving from a platform for developing common understanding into a platform for practical action. She emphasized that effective international cooperation requires timely exchange of information, early engagement among competent authorities and trusted practitioner-level channels capable of complementing formal mutual legal assistance and extradition mechanisms.

During the meeting, BRICS members made significant progress on the Indian Presidency’s proposal for a BRICS Network of Law-Enforcement Practitioners for Enhancing International Cooperation on Fugitive Offenders Sought for Corruption and Supporting Extradition. Members held constructive discussions on the objectives, scope and operational modalities of the proposed network and reached an in-principle agreement on the initiative and decided to continue deliberations on establishing a dedicated practitioner-level platform. The initiative is expected to facilitate informal cooperation, support the tracing of fugitive offenders and complement existing formal mechanisms for extradition and international cooperation.

Members also welcomed the BRICS Repository on Informal Cooperation for Tracing Fugitive Offenders Sought for Corruption and Supporting Extradition. The Repository would serve as a practical, practitioner-oriented resource bringing together information on national practices and existing channels of informal cooperation.

The Second Meeting of the BRICS Expert Network on Asset Recovery made substantive progress on practical deliverables aimed at strengthening direct cooperation among competent authorities. Members reached consensus on the standardized formats to facilitate timely practitioner-level information exchange during the preliminary stages of investigations while complementing formal mutual legal assistance mechanisms.

The Expert Network also welcomed the Directory of Focal Points and Experts, which will enable more direct communication among competent authorities across BRICS countries. Members supported the nomination of additional subject-matter experts and the periodic review and updating of the Directory by future BRICS Presidencies to ensure that it remains accurate and operationally useful.

BRICS members exchanged national experiences, institutional approaches and practical case studies relating to international asset recovery. The discussions highlighted the value of continued knowledge-sharing and enhanced cooperation among investigators and practitioners across BRICS countries.

A dedicated side event on “Ethical Governance through Innovation and Tech-Driven Systems” provided a platform for member countries to share practical innovations in technology-enabled governance. Discussions underscored that end-to-end digital procurement platforms can enhance transparency, traceability, fair competition and efficiency while reducing discretionary interfaces and corruption risks.

Participants highlighted the potential of artificial intelligence, machine learning and big-data analytics to shift oversight from post-facto detection towards preventive vigilance through real-time risk identification and targeted verification, supported by appropriate institutional safeguards and human oversight. The discussions also reaffirmed the importance of open data, digital social audits, grievance-redressal platforms and participatory vigilance in empowering citizens, strengthening institutional accountability and enhancing public trust.

The thematic session on “Emerging Risks from Financial Technology and Virtual Digital Assets: Addressing their Misuse in Concealing and Laundering the Proceeds of Corruption” recognized that while FinTech and Virtual Digital Assets promote financial inclusion and innovation, their speed, borderless character and opacity can also be exploited to conceal and transfer illicit proceeds.

Members underscored the need for clear and risk-based regulatory frameworks that strengthen anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing safeguards while preserving the legitimate innovative potential of emerging technologies. They emphasized that BRICS cooperation should focus on sharing emerging typologies and supervisory insights, deepening FIU-to-FIU and cross-border cooperation and bringing information exchange closer to the speed at which illicit digital financial flows occur.

The meetings consolidated the progress achieved during India’s BRICS Presidency and reaffirmed the collective commitment of BRICS members to strengthening practical cooperation in asset recovery, combating cross-border corruption, tracing fugitive offenders, addressing emerging financial risks and promoting transparent, accountable and technology-enabled governance.

The outcomes of the BRICS Anti-Corruption Working Group meetings under India’s Presidency have laid a strong foundation for future BRICS Presidencies to carry forward these initiatives and progressively develop them into effective, trusted and operational platforms for cooperation among anti-corruption and law-enforcement authorities.