NEW SILK ROAD 
SCO / economic cooperation
Executive Intelligence Briefing for Leaders of Chambers of Commerce and Industry
The Bishkek SCO Summit demonstrates growing efforts by member states to strengthen the organisation as a major platform for political, economic and technological coordination amid an increasingly complex international environment.
The summit highlighted a significant evolution in the SCO agenda. While security remains a fundamental pillar, increasing attention is being directed towards trade, investment, financial infrastructure, transport connectivity, digitalisation, artificial intelligence, energy and technological cooperation.
This development creates new opportunities for chambers of commerce and industry, exporters, investors, financial institutions and logistics companies seeking to expand cross-border cooperation across the SCO economic space.
On 1 September 2026, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, hosted the 26th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), with the participation of all ten member states: Belarus, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
The summit adopted the Bishkek Declaration and a package of 28 documents before transferring the SCO presidency to Pakistan for 2026–27.
The meeting also marked the SCO’s 25th anniversary. Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov noted that the organisation had evolved from a mechanism for confidence-building among neighbouring states into a major international organisation. During its year as chair, Kyrgyzstan organised around 200 SCO-related events, with particular emphasis on security, transport connectivity, digitalisation and access to technology.
Economic Cooperation as a Core Strategic Direction
Economic cooperation was one of the central themes of the summit.
Belarus supported establishing an SCO Development Bank, expanding settlements in national currencies and creating an SCO scientific fund.
Russia also proposed the development bank and reported that trade with SCO states had exceeded $400 billion, with national currencies accounting for more than 98% of Russian settlements with SCO partners.
Kazakhstan proposed hosting the headquarters of the SCO Development Bank in Astana and put forward a broader package of initiatives, including a trade and investment area, industrial consortia, cross-border trading zones, a unified digital transit platform and an SCO transport connectivity strategy through 2035.
Uzbekistan supported accelerated progress towards establishing the bank and proposed a map of industrial cooperation and a digital platform connecting businesses and investors.
Together, these initiatives point towards the development of a more integrated economic environment based on trade facilitation, investment cooperation, financial connectivity and digital infrastructure.
Digital Bank BRICS and the Emerging SCO Financial Architecture
Against this background, Digital Bank BRICS, a project established under the auspices of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, will take an active role in the development of the SCO Development Bank.
The initiative positions Digital Bank BRICS within the broader process of developing modern financial infrastructure capable of supporting cross-border economic activity among SCO member states.
Its potential areas of contribution include digital financial instruments, cross-border settlements, investment mechanisms and technological infrastructure designed to facilitate international trade and investment.
An important strategic direction is the potential integration of digital financial infrastructure with trade, logistics and investment platforms. Such integration could create a more seamless environment for international transactions, capital flows and cross-border business operations.
For chambers of commerce and industry, this development is particularly relevant. Financial infrastructure is increasingly becoming an essential component of trade infrastructure, connecting exporters and importers not only with markets, but also with payment, investment and logistics ecosystems.
The emerging SCO financial architecture could therefore provide a foundation for deeper economic interaction, while digital banking technologies may serve as one of the mechanisms supporting this transition.
Technology, AI and Regional Connectivity
Technology and digital infrastructure were also prominent elements of the summit agenda.
China proposed 100 scientific and technological cooperation projects over three years, the establishment of an international AI cooperation centre and additional solar and wind energy projects.
Kyrgyzstan identified the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway as a key transport project linked to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), with the potential to significantly strengthen regional connectivity and expand trade, transit and logistics opportunities.
Tajikistan supported the creation of economic growth zones, digital cooperation in agriculture and the development bank.
The convergence of transport infrastructure, digital technologies, financial connectivity and investment creates the foundations for a more integrated regional economic environment.
Security, Connectivity and Economic Resilience
Security remained closely interconnected with the economic agenda.
India called for the elimination of terrorist financing, recruitment, radicalisation and safe havens, identifying these factors as potential sources of increased regional geopolitical risks. India also emphasised that connectivity projects must respect sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Modi linked regional conflicts to energy security, maritime trade and global supply chains.
China called for stronger SCO coordination on Ukraine, the Middle East and Afghanistan and supported enhanced cooperation against terrorism, extremism, organised crime and narcotics.
The summit also approved new SCO mechanisms addressing security threats and narcotics, alongside agreements covering artificial intelligence, information cooperation, energy efficiency, climate change and logistics.
Executive Assessment
The Bishkek Summit illustrates a broader transformation of the SCO from an organisation primarily associated with security cooperation into a platform with an increasingly comprehensive economic and technological agenda.
The emerging architecture connects five major areas: trade, finance, transport, technology and digital infrastructure.
For chambers of commerce and industry, exporters, investors and logistics companies, this creates several strategically important areas for engagement:
- cross-border trade and investment
- settlements in national currencies
- digital financial infrastructure
- industrial cooperation and supply chains
- transport and logistics corridors
- digital trade platforms
- artificial intelligence and technological cooperation
- access to emerging regional markets
The proposed SCO Development Bank, combined with expanding digital financial capabilities, may become an important component of this emerging economic architecture.
For the international business community, the key strategic signal from Bishkek is not limited to the individual agreements adopted at the summit. It is the gradual formation of an interconnected ecosystem for trade, finance, investment, logistics and technology across the SCO space.
For chambers of commerce and industry, this creates an opportunity to move from traditional representation and business networking towards a more active role in facilitating digital trade, investment flows, financial connectivity and cross-border economic partnerships.
Digital Bank BRICS and the New Silk Road BRICS trade and logistics platform intend to contribute to this process by participating in the development of the SCO’s emerging financial and trade-logistics infrastructure. They also intend to support the digitalisation of economic cooperation, the expansion of cross-border trade, investment interaction and international logistics connectivity.
Editorial briefing: BRICS Digital Trade Alliance / New Silk Road BRICS+. Editorial illustration: New Silk Road BRICS+ (AI-generated).