In the promising global frontier of critical and strategic minerals, Brazil is currently positioned as the best partner for international investors seeking to benefit from the range of positive features that it can offer, with the potential, in particular, to attract the interest of any companies, whether in the state or private sector, that wish to invest in the new green economy.
In addition to the Brazilian electric power matrix that is approximately 90 percent renewable, our country is currently at the center of global attention because of its position in the world ranking of mineral resources.
Our niobium reserves, for example, are the world's largest, amounting, in fact, to 90 percent of the planet's known reserves. We are second in graphite and rare earths, third in nickel, fourth in manganese, fifth in bauxite, sixth in lithium, and ninth in cobalt.
With the aim of consolidating the country's position in the global output of mineral products, the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has placed the mining industry at the top of its priorities, based on a clear understanding of its strategic potential for the present and the future.
A far-reaching measure was the establishment last year of the National Council for Mineral Policy (CNPM). Mining became a matter of state importance, with robust governance capable of integrating the federal and state administrations, companies, and civil society. The CNPM recognizes mining as essential for development, for the energy transition, for technological innovation, and for national sovereignty within the prevailing geopolitical reality.
The new council will have a role similar to that played over the last three decades by the National Council for Energy Policy (CNPE), responsible for contributing to Brazil's progress in areas such as biofuels and other renewable energies, an example for the whole world.
Another initiative is the launch of the Investment Fund in Stockholdings (FIP) by the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES), with over R$ 2 billion in funds earmarked for mineral projects aimed at decarbonization. It is intended for junior and medium-sized companies operating in research and development and also in the implementation of new mining ventures in Brazil.
Other actions to support the development of mining include strengthening the Geological Survey of Brazil (SGB), to improve our knowledge of the subsoil, and the National Mining Agency (ANM), which oversees the industry's activities.
What do we have to offer our prospective partners? First, the wealth of our subsoil, historically recognized and honored, for example, in our National Anthem, as the country that is "a giant by nature."
We also have a solid and growing economy, a low and carefully controlled inflation rate, a skilled workforce, and encouraging economic indicators such as the lowest unemployment rate in our history. We have legal security and institutional stability, essential for ensuring the fulfillment of contracts, and predictability in the business world, making us a safe and reliable partner.
Brazil is seeking partners from other countries who are in tune with our commitment to 100 percent legal, safe, and sustainable mining, with respect for the environment, the assurance of dignified employment, and visible social results for local communities. We fully identify with the best ESG practices and the latest developments in the green economy.
Our partners will also share in the potential that our country offers for the joint development of the full supply chain, from mining to recycling. We take pride in our resources that lie beneath the surface, but at the same time we are confident in our ability to go far beyond the status of a mere supplier of raw commodities, as has been the case throughout history. It is of great importance to us that there should be substantive value added within our own territory.
In international forums, Brazil has reaffirmed its role as a global leader in the energy transition, in which it is urgent to ensure the availability of critical and strategic minerals for effective use in the green economy. There is a very strong connection with the demands of electrification. Without these minerals, the transformation will not be possible at the speed and scale that the planet's survival requires.
It is our government's intention that Brazil should become a major power in mining, to advance the transformation of our own economy territory through the much-vaunted neo-industrialization. Hand in hand and in synergy with other nations, we will grow even stronger.
Investors are aware, however, that potential is not synonymous with feasibility. Among the pros and cons of investing here, there is a simple truth: Brazil can be a relevant part of the global solution, provided it transforms resources into executable projects, with predictability and competitiveness. The federal and state governments have made an effort to discuss and find solutions to shorten the path and enhance opportunities to transform.
The debate about "critical minerals" has ceased to be a concern of the mining industry alone. It is now on the agenda in fields ranging from energy security to reindustrialization and geopolitics. In 2025 this trend emerged more clearly: governments and industrial production chains sought to reduce their vulnerabilities, diversify their suppliers, and shorten technological routes — especially for copper, nickel, lithium, graphite, and rare earths. Brazil, thanks to its strong geological base, its comparatively clean electric power matrix, and its extensive mining experience, stands at the center of this conversation.
