On April 16 (Thursday), the DRC, through a state-backed marketing agency, increased the volume of copper it plans to sell to the US to 500,000 mt, a fivefold increase from its initial commitment in January. As first reported by Semafor, the deal was led by state-owned mining company Gécamines, with sales conducted through a joint venture with Mercuria Energy Group and backed by the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation. The deal aimed to sell copper produced from Gécamines' minority stakes in major operations including Kamoto Copper Company and Tenke Fungurume Mining. The expanded agreement underscored the DRC's growing influence in the global copper market while intensifying competition for control over critical minerals supply chains. The Kinshasa government is seeking to convert passive shareholdings into direct revenue and gain greater commercial control. Gécamines has been working to convert its stakes in some of the country's largest mines into physical copper that can be sold independently. Its holdings include Glencore's Kamoto Copper Company and Tenke Fungurume, operated by Chinese enterprises — one of the world's highest-grade copper-cobalt deposits. Although the partnership aimed to enhance transparency and control, Mercuria remained the seller of record while Gécamines established its internal trading division. Analysts noted that this transformation required substantial investment in financing, insurance, and risk management, as well as access to physical markets. The DRC's copper production surged to 3.5 million mt in 2025, consolidating its position as the world's second-largest supplier after Chile. The production growth was driven by record copper prices and surging demand fueled by the expansion of EVs, renewable energy, and data centers. (Wenhua Composite)

In recent years, spot premiums in the European zinc market have shown significantly greater volatility amid fluctuations in energy costs, regional supply-demand mismatches, frequent temporary smelter curtailments, and shifts in inter-regional trade flows. As one of Europe’s most important hubs for non-ferrous metals logistics, warehousing and spot trade, Rotterdam has long played a key role in the distribution, storage and circulation of imported refined zinc in Europe......

Vietnam is moving toward establishing a national gold trading platform, transitioning from traditional gold shops to a centralized, digital, account-based system. The initiative aims to mobilize idle gold resources, improve market transparency, and reduce pressure on foreign exchange management. The Prime Minister has requested relevant ministries and agencies to urgently develop the exchange and target its operation before February 10, 2026; however, the project is still under review.

The 2026 revision improves transparency through moisture and silica adjustments, but Indonesia’s bauxite HPM remains structurally above domestic transaction levels, reinforcing its role as a fiscal reference price rather than a true market-clearing mechanism.

New Zealand’s Electricity Authority has introduced new rules to relax grid connection limits for solar and storage systems. Starting in late April 2026, residential solar and battery setups will receive a default export limit of at least 10 kW, with options for dynamic, flexible limits in some areas. This initiative aims to reduce network costs by maximizing the use of distributed energy and paving the way for technologies like vehicle-to-grid charging. Additionally, the industry is tasked with developing standardized assessment tools to streamline connections for larger projects and provide clearer investment transparency.

Looking back at 2025, as the transitional implementation year for the "reverse invoicing" policy, the National Development and Reform Commission's "Document No. 770" explicitly required the termination of local governments' non-compliant investment promotion cooperation. Under the policy guidance of building a unified national market, the copper scrap industry has been gradually moving toward a standardized and compliant development track.