India's Lloyds Metals and Energy Limited (LMEL) formed a joint venture with the US-based Virtus Group earlier this month to acquire CHEMAF, a mining company in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and plans to bring its share of cobalt resources from the Congo mines back to India. As the joint venture includes a US partner, the specific allocation ratio will be determined in accordance with the intergovernmental agreement between India and the United States. B Prabhakaran, Managing Director of LMEL, stated that the mines are expected to start production within the current fiscal year, with an initial planned annual output of 20,000 tonnes of cobalt and 60,000 tonnes of copper.

Lloyds Metals and Energy Limited has announced that VLMH, a joint venture in which its wholly-owned subsidiary LGRF holds a 49% stake, has completed the acquisition of 100% equity in all companies under the CHEMAF Group, which is engaged in copper and cobalt mining and processing in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This marks the first major mineral acquisition transaction closed by the joint venture platform in the DRC. Previously, the company disclosed in January 2026 the acquisition of a 50% stake in Nexus Holdco FZCO, which owns copper mining concessions and a processing plant in the DRC, with operations commencing in March 2026.

[Smelter procurement sentiment remained low, TCs held steady in multiple regions]: On a weekly basis, the SMM Zn50 domestic weekly TC average was flat MoM at 1,500 yuan/mt in metal content, while the SMM imported zinc concentrate index fell $0.62/dmt MoM to $24.88/dmt...