The geopolitics-led diversification of critical minerals supply chains is broadly viewed as a tailwind to the lithium market, senior executives said during the Executive Keynote Panel at Fastmarkets’ Global Lithium, Battery and Critical Materials in Las Vegas on Tuesday June 23.

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 […]

Here are some of the key discussion topics across the battery and critical minerals sectors ahead of Fastmarkets’ Global Lithium, Battery and Critical Materials conference taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States on June 22-25.

Few battery raw materials entered the 2020s with as much momentum as lithium hydroxide. As automakers raced toward electrification, the industry widely expected high-nickel batteries to dominate the next generation of electric vehicles (EVs). Lithium hydroxide, a critical raw material for nickel-rich cathodes, was projected to become one of the battery sector’s fastest-growing products.

Naturally produced graphite offers a cheaper and more supply-chain stable alternative for battery manufacturers and consumers, Jon Jacobs, chief commercial officer of US-based mineral resources developer Westwater Resources, told Fastmarkets in an exclusive interview on Thursday June 4, as concerns over Chinese dominance in the market forced buyers to look elsewhere.

The West entered the rare earths race late as countries in general were slow to act and now China is far ahead, Mineração Taboca executive manager Ronaldo Lasmar said in an interview with Fastmarkets.

Fastmarkets will publish a one-time differential on August 28, 2026, that may be used to adjust derivatives on commodity exchanges and other contracts, which settle against the assessment of the MB-LI-0033 lithium hydroxide, battery grade, spot price, cif China, Japan & Korea.

Fastmarkets will change the quality and tonnage specifications for its benchmark assessments of the MB-LI-0033 lithium hydroxide monohydrate LiOH.H2O, 56.5% LiOH min, battery grade, spot price, cif China, Japan & Korea and the MB-LI-0029 lithium carbonate, 99.5% Li2CO3 min, battery grade, spot prices, cif China, Japan & Korea, effective from Tuesday September 1, 2026.

The sharp rise in demand for lithium is outpacing the growth of an independent US supply chain, Ian Rodger, chief executive officer of lithium development company US Elemental, told Fastmarkets in an exclusive interview on Wednesday June 3.

While governments and industry accelerate efforts to secure the materials underpinning energy security, national defense and industrial competitiveness, Fastmarkets will be convening more than 1,250 leaders from across the global critical minerals value chain in Las Vegas this June.  Fastmarkets’ 18th Global Lithium, Battery and Critical Materials Conference, (June 22–25, 2026) has evolved into a leading forum for the critical minerals ecosystem – spanning lithium, nickel, […]