[Cobalt & Lithium: Huayou Cobalt Plans To Acquire 100% Of Atlantic Lithium For $210 Million]

Zimbabwe's Finance Minister Ncube Mthuli stated unequivocally on June 24 that, despite a collective industry request for a postponement, the government will not extend the ban on lithium concentrates exports originally scheduled to take effect in January 2027. He noted that enterprises unable to build their own plants could be encouraged to sign processing trade agreements with supplied materials with companies possessing processing capacity. The minister's remarks came after most of the country's lithium producers requested more time last week to complete the construction of beneficiation plants.

Following its self-developed chip, Li Auto has once again strengthened its core technology layout. Its self-developed “Li Auto” brand battery is now officially installed in vehicles, with the first model being the newly launched Li L8. In battery R&D, Li Auto and Sunwoda have partnered through a joint venture, with a clear division of labor and well-defined responsibilities. At the R&D level, Li Auto leads the entire process, defining the full technology chain from the battery cell level (including material formulation and structural systems) to the overall battery pack design, as well as the underlying development of the BMS (Battery Management System). At the manufacturing level, the two parties have established a comprehensive operational collaboration mechanism: the chairman of the joint venture is appointed by the Li Auto team, and the overall R&D design, manufacturing processes, and quality standards are uniformly specified and controlled by Li Auto. During the specific manufacturing execution phase, the two parties leverage Sunwoda’s mature manufacturing platform and combine their respective areas of strength to advance collaboratively.

London-based metals.io has added tokenized cobalt and nickel to its Tezos-based trading platform, opening access to commodities that have traditionally been available only to industrial buyers and large trading houses. The company said Thursday it purchased and tokenized 7 tonnes of the metals, launching xCo and xNi tokens that provide investors with ownership of physical metal held in secure storage facilities. The platform uses a trust structure combined with blockchain-based smart contracts to allow investors to buy, hold and trade the assets without the warehousing, financing and minimum lot-size requirements typically associated with physical commodity markets. “The rapid growth of AI, an explosion of manufacturing capacity in emerging markets and a host of other technological developments have created demand for the metals and minerals that power industries from automotive manufacturing to aerospace,” Ben Elvidge, lead for metals.io and head of alternative assets at Trilitech, said in a statement. “With the launch of metals.io and the dawn of tokenization, we’re able to streamline access to these essential commodities, making them available to a new profile of buyer and introducing new routes to market for suppliers.”