Recently, Joint Circular No. 00156 of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Mines of the DRC / Cabinet of the Ministry of Mines / 2026 and Cabinet of the Ministry of Finance / 2026, concerning regulatory measures to standardize control over deviations in the detection of refined cobalt content in exported cobalt hydroxide under the quota system framework of the Authority for the Regulation and Control of Strategic Mineral Substances’ Markets in the DRC, is translated as follows: The English translation of the above text is:

The Democratic Republic of Congo is reportedly ready to approve the sale of Chemaf to US-based Virtus Minerals, advancing a strategic minerals partnership between Washington and the African nation. Congo’s mines minister, Louis Watum, notified Virtus last week that the government intends to clear the takeover, according to sources cited by Bloomberg News, marking a key step in a deal involving one of the country’s most contested mining assets.

[SMM Aluminum Express News] Guinea, the world’s largest bauxite producer, is in discussions with miners to introduce controls on the volume of bauxite ore supplied to the market in order to protect prices. Mines and Geology Minister Bouna Sylla said the government is considering measures to regulate bauxite production and prevent a sharp price slump, which would hurt company revenues and government tax income. If implemented, Guinea would join the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe in restricting exports of key minerals, most of which are currently destined for China.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has opened its first gold refining facility, marking a significant step in the country’s effort to capture greater value from its vast mineral wealth.

This week, the cobalt chloride market atmosphere saw no significant change WoW, and the price stalemate continued. Top-tier enterprises remained firm in holding prices, with mainstream quotations still staying above 117,000 yuan/mt, and some offers probing 120,000 yuan/mt. However, downstream procurement sentiment remained cautious, with no signs of improvement. Constrained by weak end-use demand and relatively ample raw material inventory at material plants, market inquiry activity declined, and actual transactions were mainly scattered restocking, with the transaction center holding at 115,000 yuan/mt. Although some small traders occasionally made low-price shipments, this was difficult to materially impact the broader market. Overall, market gaming sentiment persisted, and prices were expected to remain largely stable in the short term, lacking drivers to break the stalemate. SMM New Energy Research Team Wang Cong 021-51666838 Ma Rui 021-51595780 Feng Disheng 021-51666714 Lv Yanlin 021-20707875 Zhou Zhicheng 021-51666711

This week, LCO market prices were basically stable, with mainstream quotations for conventional grades remaining above 400,000 yuan/mt, while high-voltage products held firm at the 420,000 yuan/mt threshold. Affected by the traditional off-season for consumer electronics in Q1 and disruptions in chip supply, battery cell manufacturers currently had relatively sufficient raw material inventory, and purchase willingness declined further WoW. Market transactions were mainly driven by the execution of existing long-term contract and rigid demand, with limited release of new orders. Against the backdrop of rangebound fluctuations in upstream raw materials and downstream demand yet to recover, LCO prices were expected to remain largely stable in the short term, with most market participants adopting a wait-and-see attitude pending further clarity on the subsequent demand pace. Wang Cong 021-51666838 Ma Rui 021-51595780 Feng Disheng 021-51666714 Lv Yanlin 021-20707875 Zhou Zhicheng 021-51666711 Zhang Haohan 021-51666752 Wang Zihan 021-51666914 Wang Jie 021-51595902 Xu Yang 021-51666760 Yang Lianting 021-51595835 Wang Zhaoyu 021-51666827