The Democratic Republic of Congo reinstated a ban on exports of copper concentrate and cobalt concentrate on August 6, blocking raw ore from leaving the country unprocessed; TRT Afrika described it as a major escalation of the DRC's drive to capture more mining value domestically; Crypto Briefing noted the ban also affects crypto miners who rely on cobalt-linked supply chains
The transition metal underpinning lithium-ion batteries, with the Democratic Republic of Congo supplying roughly 76% of world mine output and wielding OPEC-style export quotas since late 2025.
full dossier ›Kinshasa assumed the rotating UNSC presidency on July 1 and plans to use it to press for a first-of-its-kind binding resolution establishing global standards for mineral resource governance, directly targeting Rwanda's alleged plunder of eastern Congo's cobalt, coltan and gold
The industrial recovery of lithium, cobalt, and nickel from spent EV batteries, now structurally mandated by EU law and the central supply-chain bet against dependence on new primary mining.
China's CMOC Group supplies roughly one-third of global cobalt from its DRC mines, making it the dominant actor in battery-metal supply chains and a flashpoint in US-China resource competition.
Lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite and manganese power every battery cell; their supply is highly concentrated, making these minerals the chokepoints of the global electric transition.
Switzerland-based Glencore, one of the world's largest commodity traders and miners, dominates global cobalt supply and is central to Western strategies to secure critical minerals from the DRC.
The carbon mineral at the core of every lithium-ion battery anode, where China controls 97% of global processing capacity and wields that position as an export-control lever.
China's most vertically integrated cobalt-to-cathode company, spanning Democratic Republic of Congo mining and Indonesian nickel HPAL to battery materials for global EV makers.
The DRC set CMOC's 2026 cobalt export quota at 31,200 tonnes against 117,549 tonnes produced in 2025; a June 1 work stoppage at TFM raises copper output risk as CMOC guides 760-820 kt for the year
Kinshasa replaced its 2025 export ban with strict annual caps; cobalt hit $57,320/t, but artisanal miners largely escape the ceiling
The first EV battery recycling shakeout separated commercial-scale survivors from undercapitalised startups; Redwood Materials reached a $6 billion valuation, Germany's cylib raised €63.4 million, and EU Battery Passport compliance deadlines gave the sector a regulatory floor
The 'tightest-ever' physical market pushed cobalt to a two-year high before a Q2 correction; Electra's 5,120 tpa Ontario refinery targets IRA-compliant battery supply; DRC's export quota and LFP's 55% share frame the long-run cobalt substitution debate
China's largest cobalt-battery materials company expanded simultaneously into Korean EV supply, Indonesian cell manufacturing, and European recycling in 2026, building a vertically integrated position from DRC mining to end-of-life battery recovery
The European Commission published its second CRMA Strategic Projects selection in March 2026, bringing the total to 94 projects; member states must issue permits within 24 months; the CRMA sets 2030 supply benchmarks requiring 10% domestic extraction and 40% EU processing
The Mutanda-KCC stake transfer gives Washington indirect control over two of the DRC's largest mines; a six-month Takeover Panel cooling-off period on the Rio Tinto mega-merger expires in August 2026
The House-passed reconciliation bill terminates the IRA's wind production and investment credits for projects beginning after 2026, extends and modifies the 45X advanced manufacturing credit, bars FEOC-sourced material from 45X eligibility, and adds a new metallurgical coal credit; Senate outcome uncertain