With an official accession of India and Pakistan to Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), its capacity has considerably increased. The organisation has also faced new challenges, to which the member states must respond rapidly. Thus, the expansion of the list of members blurs to a large extent the SCO area of efforts application. A traditional spotlight, shining for a long time on Central Asia, will be now inevitably shifted towards South Asia. The task of maintaining the basic principles of the SCO functioning and the balance of forces between the major and other members in the Organization, as well as the need for solving the most topical issue for today, the creation of mechanisms for financing the SCO projects, remain no less important in the light of the SCO expansion. Besides, the fact of aggravation of the geopolitical situation in the world is directly reflected in the SCO activities. The rivalry between the big powers, including the SCO members, has moved on to a new footing. This article provides an analysis of the current state of the SCO activities as well as forecasts for the further development of the ‘Big Shanghai Eight’.