Short answers, pulled from the story.
The first formal summit of BRICS took place on the 16th of June 2009 in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, and China attended this initial meeting to discuss global recession recovery.
South Africa joined the organization in September 2010 after being formally invited by China. The group was renamed BRICS to reflect the addition of South Africa as the fifth member.
Five initial members have a combined nominal GDP of US$28 trillion. Their total GDP at purchasing power parity is around US$65 trillion.
British economist Jim O'Neill coined the term BRIC in 2001. His employer Goldman Sachs championed the label to designate emerging markets.
Indonesia officially became the tenth member on the 6th of January 2025. This made it the first Southeast Asian state to join the bloc.