Sources and correspondence indicate an administrative failure at the Democratic Republic of Congo's customs platform may prevent major Congolese cobalt producers from fulfilling 1H export quotas, risking loss of part of those quotas. The disruption could hit global battery-grade cobalt shipments; at current prices up to about 20,000 tonnes of cobalt — roughly $1.1 billion — may be unable to be exported.

2026-07-03

Sources and correspondence indicate an administrative failure at the Democratic Republic of Congo's customs platform may prevent major Congolese cobalt producers from fulfilling 1H export quotas, risking loss of part of those quotas. The disruption could hit global battery-grade cobalt shipments; at current prices up to about 20,000 tonnes of cobalt — roughly $1.1 billion — may be unable to be exported.