Highlights from our 33rd Global Metals, Mining & Critical Minerals Conference

At the end of February, we had the privilege of hosting our 33rd Global Metals, Mining & Critical Minerals Conference, bringing together more than 2,000 attendees and coordinating more than 6,500 meetings. Last year, we formally rebranded the conference name to include critical minerals, and we saw a return in attendance from many miners, processors, OEMs, and others in that space. Throughout our three-day industry-leading conference, we hosted presentations from nearly 200 companies and touched on key themes, including decarbonization in the context of world events and the global economic outlook, commodities, critical minerals, and the energy transition.

As the world continues to pursue decarbonization objectives, we have seen new pools of capital emerge focused on the space, including government funding. Jigar Shah, Director, Loan Programs Office, U.S. Department of Energy, shared how the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office (LPO) provides attractive debt financing for high-impact, large-scale energy infrastructure projects in the United States, and what younger clean energy companies should understand about LPO and how equity investors view its diligence process.

It was also encouraging to hear top executives in the sector have a sense of optimism for the year ahead. "We are living in a very volatile world,” says Jakob Stausholm, CEO of Rio Tinto. “But we also live in a world that is growing. For us, that's a good thing. When the physical world is growing, it's good for the mining world as demand for our products. So, I'm actually cautiously optimistic at this point in time. Despite all the volatility of the world." Listen to what other key executives had to say about their optimism for the sector.

Similarly, the World Gold Council (WGC) believes gold has an opportunity to showcase its value as a stabilizing force in the global economy in 2024.

As we look to the energy transition, Robert Friedland, Founder and Executive Co-Chairman of Ivanhoe Mines Ltd., believes the mining industry could play a larger role in addressing climate change, but it will need to implement changes in how it operates.

On the lithium side, the demands of the energy transition and supply realities will likely support lithium markets this year, but greater supply chain efficiencies will be needed over the long term.

And many industry leaders believe the mining industry remains focused on sustainable business practices, even as investment flows into funds dedicated to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues slow.

As the world around us changes rapidly, so does the demand on the mining industry, and it is encouraging that we are seeing a continued emphasis on critical minerals and energy transition as the world continues to pursue decarbonization objectives.

We invite you to tap into more of our insights on Global Metals and Mining.