Silver has seen one of the sharpest pullbacks in recent years within just a few weeks. From the high of US$97.30 on March 2, the price fell to US$61.21 by March 23, losing around 37%. For the market, this was an abrupt break from the previous momentum.

JEIO, a producer of carbon nanotubes (CNT), announced on the 17th that it will begin full-scale supply of thin-wall carbon nanotubes (TWCNT) to CATL. The company expects to supply at least 100 tons of TWCNT this year.

Recently, the CATL New Energy Battery Base Project (Jinchui Phase I) located in Badu Town, Jiaocheng District, Ningde City, Fujian Province, is scheduled to complete delivery by the end of April 2026. Jinchui Phase I involves a total investment of approximately 2 billion yuan, covering about 900 mu of land. It plans to construct approximately 370,000 square meters of new energy battery intelligent manufacturing standard factories and supporting auxiliary facilities. Upon completion, it will become an important production base for CATL in Jiaocheng District. CATL disclosed that its production capacity reached 772 GWh in 2025, with 321 GWh under construction.

Recently, Rio Tinto Group and CATL signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Establishing a Partnership. The two parties will carry out in-depth cooperation in three key areas: strategic development and innovation in electrification, supply chains and the circular economy, and commercial and cooperation mechanisms, to jointly seize new industrial opportunities arising from the low-carbon transition. According to the Memorandum of Understanding, the two parties will prioritize advancing electrification applications in mining operations, exploring commercial pathways for battery materials recycling and the circular development of critical mineral resources, and studying circular economy practices and diversified cooperation models.

On March 11, 2026, Fuzhou Public Transport Group, the largest public transportation operator in Fujian Province by scale, signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with CATL in Ningde, Fujian. The two parties will join hands to explore new development paths for the second half of the public transport electrification journey. This cooperation will focus on four core areas: bus battery aftermarket services, urban battery swap network construction, battery recycling and utilization, and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology. Addressing the challenges of charging efficiency and battery life following the large-scale deployment of electric buses will be a key focus of the collaboration between the two parties.

CATL announced that in 2025, it recorded operating revenue of 423.702 billion yuan, up 17.04% YoY, and net profit of 72.201 billion yuan, up 42.28% YoY. The company plans to distribute a cash dividend of 69.57 yuan per 10 shares to all shareholders (tax included). CATL stated that in 2025, it achieved lithium-ion battery sales of 661 Gwh, up 39.16% YoY.

According to customs data, lead concentrate imports in February 2026 were 124,580 mt in physical content, up 3.8% MoM and up 26.4% YoY; cumulative imports in January-February reached 252,241 mt in physical content, up 14% YoY on a cumulative basis. Over the same period, silver concentrate imports were about 148,600 mt in physical content, down 17% MoM and down 8% YoY; cumulative imports in January-February were 328,600 mt in physical content, down 1.27% YoY on a cumulative basis.

Recently, Suzhou Shidai Xinneng Technology Co., Ltd. was established with registered capital of 2 billion yuan. The company is wholly owned by CATL, and its business scope includes: R&D of emerging energy technologies; battery manufacturing; battery sales; production of battery parts; sales of battery parts; and promotion services for new material technologies.

On the evening of March 18, 2026, at Chery Automobile Battery Night 2026 in Wuhu, Anhui, Chery unveiled its Rhino all-solid-state battery technology. It had completed the development and pilot production of a 60Ah, 400Wh/kg all-solid-state battery cell and was advancing toward an ultra-high energy density of 600Wh/kg.

This week，the solid-state battery industry showed a dual-engine momentum driven by "intensive breakthroughs on the technology front and targeted solutions on the policy front." CATL disclosed a sulphide patent, Zhongkeyuanben's 20Ah all-solid-state battery passed third-party detection, and Dreame Technology released a 450Wh/kg product; Guangdong took the lead in incorporating diversified solid-state battery technology routes and eVTOL scenarios into provincial-level action plans.