As the world’s economic tides shift, leaders and policymakers are searching for bold new strategies to drive sustainable growth and global influence. On November 9, 2025, two major developments converged on the international stage: a call for urgent small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) mobilization to unlock trillion-dollar economic gains, and a forceful plea for reforms in global governance by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 17th BRICS Summit in Brazil. Together, these events highlight the critical crossroads faced by emerging economies, particularly within the BRICS bloc, as they seek to chart a course toward prosperity and a more equitable world order.
According to an in-depth analysis published by American Bazaar on November 9, 2025, the secret to rapid, large-scale economic transformation may not lie in grand megaprojects, but rather in tapping the vast potential of millions of SMEs. The article argues that nations with 1 to 10 million SMEs engaged in micro-trading, exports, and manufacturing are sitting atop an “untapped, proven hidden treasure.” These businesses, often overlooked, can—if properly mobilized—grow into global giants and fundamentally reshape national economies. As the article puts it, “Within the tides of vibrant oceans of SMEs, like tiny tadpoles, they start and grow, and how often they grow into a Godzilla-sized global giants, powerful enough to change the face of the nation forever.”
This isn’t just theoretical. The piece points to historical examples: the United States’ SME-driven ascent a century ago, and the more recent economic booms of China and India, both propelled by waves of entrepreneurial activity. The analysis presents three practical GDP capture models, each showing how raising the annual revenue of 1 to 10 million SMEs can yield a trillion-dollar boost to GDP within 1,000 days. For example, if 1 million SMEs each increase their annual revenue to $1 million, the result is a staggering $1 trillion economic impact.
But how can such an ambitious transformation be achieved? The article outlines a methodology under the National Administration and Mobilization of Entrepreneurialism (NAME) program. Step one is a nationwide digital census, using an app-based survey to rapidly identify and qualify high-potential SMEs. This data-driven approach, the article insists, can be completed within 30 days, sidestepping bureaucratic bottlenecks. Next, the formation of a Cabinet-level SME Czar is recommended, tasked with cutting through red tape and ensuring unified government support. Upskilling is another pillar: Expothon-led bootcamps offer 100-day certification programs for economic officers, equipping them to coach SMEs on digital tools and export strategies.
The timeline is bold—1,000 days to achieve robust economic development and global competitiveness. Yet, the article is quick to point out that the real challenge is not funding, but execution and mobilization. Political buy-in is essential, with calls for bipartisan commitment and transparent dashboards to track progress. “Establish a Political Buy-In Lock: Secure a multi-year bipartisan commitment from the outset, along with public dashboards to track progress and enhance accountability and voter support,” the article advises.
Crucially, the article highlights the importance of inclusivity. By setting a 40% participation quota for women and youth, nations can tap into underutilized talent pools, driving innovation and diversity. “Leverage Demographics: Establish 40% participation quotas to tap underutilized talent pools, driving 2-3 times higher innovation rates and directly boosting sector diversity,” it states, emphasizing that broad-based participation is not just a moral imperative, but an economic one.
Of course, such sweeping reforms are not without obstacles. The article takes aim at what it calls “the pervasive silence of Western economic intellectualism,” arguing that too many economic development teams lack real entrepreneurial experience. It’s a provocative critique: “Anyone who has never started a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME), hired employees, and generated profits... how can they articulate the control and command of an entrepreneurial risk-taking mindset essential for such endeavors?” The piece asserts that only a risk-taking entrepreneurial mindset can generate the kind of SME growth needed to rival economic superpowers.
This focus on SMEs as engines of growth dovetails with the themes emerging from the BRICS Summit in Brazil, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a forceful address on November 9, 2025. As reported by ANI News and confirmed by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Modi condemned terrorism as a “grave threat to humanity,” and called for urgent reforms in global institutions to better serve developing nations. “On the session on Peace and Security, Honourable Prime Minister underlined that terrorism was a grave threat facing humanity,” MEA Secretary Dammu Ravi said during a special media briefing. Modi’s remarks came in the context of a united BRICS condemnation of the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, which he described as “an onslaught on the entire humanity.”
But Modi’s speech went beyond security concerns. He emphasized the need to overhaul international institutions—such as the United Nations Security Council, IMF, World Bank, and WTO—arguing that they are relics of the 20th century, ill-equipped to address the challenges of today’s multipolar world. “He reiterated that the global organisations of the 20th century lacked the capacity to deal with the challenges of the 21st century. Therefore, he underscored the importance of reforming the multilateral organisations,” Ravi explained. Modi’s vision is for a more democratic, representative, and effective system—one that gives greater voice to developing nations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Modi also looked to the future, proposing the creation of a BRICS research and science repository focused on critical mineral supply chains and responsible artificial intelligence. He urged deeper cooperation among Global South countries, echoing the SME mobilization article’s call for leveraging local talent and innovation. “The Prime Minister expressed that diversity and multipolarity were valued strengths of the BRICS. He added that BRICS could play an important role in shaping a multipolar world,” Ravi noted.
The summit’s joint declaration, as highlighted by Ravi, strongly endorsed the need to reform the United Nations and its Security Council. The document reads, “We reiterate our support for a comprehensive reform of the United Nations, including its Security Council, with a view to making it more democratic, representative, effective and efficient, and to increase the representation of developing countries in the Council’s memberships so that it can adequately respond to prevailing global challenges and support the legitimate aspirations of emerging and developing countries from Africa, Asia and Latin America, including BRICS countries, to play a greater role in international affairs.”
As the BRICS nations contemplate their next steps, the convergence of economic and political reform agendas is unmistakable. Whether through the mobilization of millions of SMEs or the overhaul of global institutions, the message is clear: the path to prosperity and influence for emerging economies lies in unleashing their entrepreneurial potential and demanding a seat at the table in shaping the rules of the global order.
The coming years will reveal whether these ambitious visions translate into real-world change, but the sense of urgency is unmistakable—and the stakes, for billions, could not be higher.
