Over the past five years, lithium has rapidly emerged as a major global commodity, driven by demand from electric vehicles, energy storage and the wider energy transition. Demand is expected to grow by more than 200% over the next decade, yet the market infrastructure needed to support pricing, liquidity and risk management has not kept pace.  

Lithium markets remain less mature than other major commodities, with limited electronic and transparent infrastructure for price discovery and trade initiation. As participation grows across the value chain, the need for standardized operational trading mechanisms to support liquidity, investment and large-scale trading is becoming increasingly acute. 

Against this backdrop, Fastmarkets today announced plans to launch a new platform for the physical lithium market, designed to improve price discovery and access to spot liquidity. Details of the launch will be announced at Fastmarkets’ flagship event, Global Lithium, Battery and Critical Materials Conference, taking place 22–25 June 2026 in Las Vegas. 

“Fastmarkets has a unique role in the lithium market because we sit at the intersection of pricing, market participation and long-term market development,” said Raju Daswani, CEO of Fastmarkets. “Our benchmarks are already deeply embedded in how lithium is traded, hedged and used across the value chain. As the market continues to mature, participants are increasingly looking for more transparent and efficient routes to price discovery and liquidity. We believe Fastmarkets is uniquely positioned to help support that evolution.”  

Fastmarkets’ development of the platform will be informed by inputs from an established industry advisory group comprising leading participants from across the lithium value chain, including producers, consumers and trading firms. In consultation with the advisory group, Fastmarkets will shape the platform’s design and functionality, ensuring it aligns with market practices and supports broad industry participation.  

“As one of the world’s largest lithium producers, PLS welcomes Fastmarkets’ announcement of its development of a centralized digital spot platform,” said Dale Henderson, Managing Director and CEO of PLS Group Ltd. “As lithium becomes a larger and more strategically important global commodity, PLS supports market infrastructure development that improves transparency and operational efficiency in lithium trading. Transparent price discovery, credible and independent benchmarks and deeper physical liquidity are important foundations for building confidence across the value chain and attracting the capital required to support future growth. 

“PLS is pleased to contribute to Fastmarkets’ development of market infrastructure that supports a more mature, efficient and investable lithium market”, he said.  

The platform will launch later this year and is designed to address structural frictions that continue to limit transparency and liquidity in lithium markets. It is intended to provide: 

• A more transparent route to price discovery 

• Bilateral trade initiation using standardized operational trading terms set by Fastmarkets, whilst preserving participant autonomy over price, volume and customer selection 

• Improved market connectivity across producers, consumers and traders 

• Stronger foundations for Fastmarkets benchmark development and more liquid risk-management markets  

“As commodity markets mature, they develop the infrastructure to match – transparent pricing, accessible liquidity and the confidence for buyers and sellers to transact at arm’s length. Lithium has grown faster than many other commodities in recent history, but its physical market infrastructure has not kept pace. Liontown has maintained spot volumes specifically to support open, transparent price discovery, and we see initiatives like Fastmarkets’ new platform as a positive step towards closing that gap,” said Grant Donald, Chief Commercial Officer at Liontown Ltd. 

“As lithium continues to play an increasingly central role in industrial strategy and the global energy transition, we welcome the development of a more robust and transparent market infrastructure. We are pleased to support this evolution through our active participation in the advisory group,” said Kevin Zhou, Sales and Operation Director at Sichuan Yahua Lithium Group.  

Fastmarkets’ position in the battery raw material market is built on decades of pricing expertise dating back to 1913, with more than 60 years of coverage for lithium. Its IOSCO-compliant lithium benchmarks are widely used across the value chain in physical contracts, price negotiations and financial instruments, including as settlement references for lithium futures contracts listed on major commodity exchanges.  

For more information, visit Fastmarkets.