Saudi Arabia’s state-backed mining champion, Ma’aden, has unveiled an $110 billion, decade-long minerals investment plan. But describing it as “mining investment” misses the deeper story. What is unfolding in the Kingdom is not a resource boom—it is the construction of a vertically integrated minerals operating system, deliberately designed to capture value across exploration, processing, policy, and geopolitics. Saudi Arabia wants to be able to take on China as a rare earth element and critical mineral processing hub. For rare earths and critical minerals investors, this matters far beyond the Arabian Peninsula. From Dig-and-Ship to Strategic Infrastructure The familiar mining model—discover,…
Author: TJ Markle
For most of modern history, mining influence has been anchored in two places: where the resources sit, and where the world’s processing capacity, standards, and capital allocation decisions are concentrated. The Future Minerals Forum (FMF) is challenging that old map. Not by declaring a new “centre” in a keynote, but by acting as a catalyst for something more powerful: trust. And also the geopolitical and commercial influence that flows from it. Trust is mining’s hardest currency. GlobeScan’s tracking of mining’s societal reputation shows global public opinion remains largely negative, with only about 30% giving the sector positive ratings for fulfilling…
Japan is going to the depths of the ocean to reduce its reliance on China. Tokyo has launched an ambitious plan to mine the floor of the Pacific for mud rich in rare earth minerals at a depth of 6 kilometres. One of Japan’s icons, Mt Fuji, is just under 3.8km high. The plan has been years in the making but comes at a precarious time, with diplomatic relations between Tokyo and Beijing at a low ebb. China continues to ramp up pressure on Japan after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested Tokyo could react militarily to any attack on Taiwan.…
The Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) has expressed its full support for government’s ‘zero tolerance’ campaign against illegal mining and unregulated activities. In a release yesterday the association stated, “We stand firmly behind the comprehensive campaign to sanitize the industry, ensuring that 2026 becomes the defining year for ridding the sector of bad actors who tarnish the reputation of compliant miners. The release said that the sector is evolving and gone are the days of informal and undocumented trading. It sought to assure all “legitimate” miners that there is nothing to fear from these changes, while warning that…
As the U.S. already has near-unrestricted military access to Greenland under a 1951 agreement, there is no national security imperative to own the island, but the Trump administration covets its vast natural resources. The USGS estimates that the Arctic holds about 22% of the world’s undiscovered oil and gas resource base, with the East Greenland Rift holding the third largest reserves in the Arctic, including 8.9 billion barrels of oil, 86.18 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 8.12 billion barrels of condensate. Greenland is also thought to have large reserves of rare earth elements critical for green technologies, with…
China has banned the export of several rare earth minerals to Japan over controversial remarks made by Japan’s Prime Minister regarding Taiwan, marking a new low in deteriorating relationships between the two trade partners. According to a commerce ministry statement on Tuesday, China has banned exports of dual-use items, including certain rare earth elements, to Japan, effective immediately. Dual-use items include technologies, goods or software with both civilian and military applications. Beijing’s latest move is a reaction to controversial remarks made by Japan’s Prime Minister about Taiwan. In November 2025, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated that a potential Chinese…
Expert says Venezuela’s rare earth minerals may be getting overlooked as President Donald Trump focuses on country’s oil reserves. The deposition of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro has sparked questions about the country’s future — and its vast natural resources. While many, including President Donald Trump, have focused on Venezuela’s oil as a potential benefit to the U.S., one expert says the country’s rare earth minerals may be getting overlooked. “I am pleased to announce that the Interim Authorities in Venezuela will be turning over between 30 and 50 MILLION barrels of high quality, sanctioned oil to the United States of…
The pursuit of superconductivity, materials exhibiting zero electrical resistance, receives a boost from new theoretical insights into how atomic vibrations, or phonons, can drive this phenomenon. Yang-Zhi Chou, Jihang Zhu, Jay D. Sau, and Sankar Das Sarma, from the University of Maryland and the University of Washington, demonstrate that superconductivity can arise in a specific type of material, a ‘single-flavor metal’, through a subtle effect related to the delay in interactions between electrons and phonons. Their work reveals an unexpected possibility for a particular type of superconductivity, termed -wave superconductivity, which conventional theories fail to predict, and further shows how…
Foundation Alloy, headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, has launched Molyclast MC1200, reported to be the strongest commercially available molybdenum alloy. At up to three times stronger than the current market leader, MC1200’s fully recrystallised microstructure is said to deliver predictable strength from 25ºC to over 1,500ºC, avoiding the embrittlement and precipitous property loss common in refractory alloys. According to Foundation Alloy, the combination of strength and manufacturability is intended to enable new engineering capabilities for a range of customers, including those in semiconductor manufacturing, aerospace and defence, and medical imaging. The MC1200 molybdenum alloy reportedly achieves its superior properties in…
Humanity has coveted the world’s most precious metals for as long as we’ve known of their existence. While many may think of gold, silver, and platinum as the most valuable metals, these are simply the most commonly traded. In reality, there are other metals that are even more precious, with specialized uses across various industries. What makes a metal precious? The value of a precious metal is determined by its rarity, usefulness, demand, extraction difficulty, and unique properties. Certain metals are especially valuable due to their industrial importance or limited supply. Rhodium Rhodium, priced at around $4,700 per ounce, is…