Brazil
Both of Brazil's runoff candidates promise to process rare earths for the data center age. Neither program puts a number on it.
Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro go into the 25 October runoff with registered programs that tie critical minerals processing to AI and data centers. One leans on the state, the other on Washington and private capital. The winner inherits two laws already on the books and a separation gap neither plan prices.
Brazil's minerals pipeline found a lender. It still has no buyer.
The IDB mapped 15 to 20 Brazilian critical minerals projects out of roughly 50 it assessed, and expects its first approval next year. Its president's condition: the rest of the world has to sign long-term purchase contracts.
Belo Horizonte hosts critical minerals capital this week. The pitch is the architecture.
The third Brazil Critical Minerals Summit opens Tuesday with Atlas Lithium as co-host and Minas Gerais behind the lectern. The audience is Western capital checking whether Brazil's new financing stack actually deploys.
Brazil adds a R$15 billion credit line to its critical minerals push. The R$1 billion Vale-BNDES fund is already deploying.
A new sovereign credit line for mine capex was presented to IBRAM in May. It sits alongside the R$1 billion exploration fund that has been investing since early 2025.
Brazil's Critical Minerals Moment Is Here. Its Regulatory Framework Isn't
The country has the deposits. What it lacks is the bureaucracy to move them at the speed AI infrastructure demands.