It is reported that the world's largest cobalt producer, Luoyang Molybdenum, will receive an export quota of 6,500 tons of cobalt in the fourth quarter of 2025 and 31,200 tons of cobalt in 2026, exceeding one third of Congo's (DRC) basic quota in 2026. Even so, the quota received by Luoyang Molybdenum is still a large gap from its annual production.

Shanghai Xinhua Finance October 12th, The eight-month cobalt export ban in the Democratic Republic of the Congo will come to an end on October 16th. The country's Strategic Mineral Markets Authority (ARECOMS) announced new regulations on October 12th, which will implement an annual export quota management starting from the 16th, with the export ceiling for the rest of 2025 set at 18,125 tons.

The documents show that the cobalt export quota is determined based on the export situation of each enterprise in 2024, 2023, and 2022, calculated proportionally. In a previous document, ARECOMS stated that the maximum total amount of cobalt exported from the DRC to external markets from October 16, 2025, to December 31, 2025, is 18,125 tons. In 2026, the maximum total amount of cobalt exported to external markets is 96,600 tons, including 87,000 tons of "base quota" and 9,600 tons of "strategic quota". The export quota for 2027 will be the same as that of 2026.

It is reported that the world's largest cobalt producer, Luoyang Molybdenum, will receive an export quota of 6,500 tons of cobalt in the fourth quarter of 2025 and 31,200 tons in 2026, exceeding one-third of Congo's (DRC) basic quota in 2026. Even so, the quota received by Luoyang Molybdenum is still a large gap from its annual production. In 2024, the company's cobalt production was 114,165 tons, and the company's cobalt export quota in 2026 is less than 30% of the cobalt production in 2024. Another mining giant, Glencore, will receive an export quota of 39,250 tons of cobalt in the fourth quarter of 2025.

Reporters have learned that the remaining cobalt export quotas for the fourth quarter of 2025, as per ARECOMS instructions, have been allocated to the state-owned Congolese company EGC and the subsidiary STL of the Congolese state mining company (Gécamines) and other cobalt companies. All quota companies must prepay the royalties due to the state, calculated at 10% of sales, before transporting cobalt.

Congo (DRC) is the world's largest cobalt producer, accounting for 75.86% of global output in 2024. The export ban, which began at the end of February this year, has been in effect for nearly 8 months.

The ban has catalyzed a significant increase in cobalt prices since the beginning of the year. Data from Shanghai Steel Home shows that the latest domestic price of refined cobalt is 349,500 RMB per ton, which has doubled compared to the beginning of the year.

A senior executive of a cobalt listed company previously told reporters that the new export policy of the DRC will have a significant impact on the supply and demand pattern of cobalt. The contraction of supply is significant, and it will have a clear effect of boosting cobalt prices. It is expected that cobalt prices will rise to above 400,000 RMB/ton, which will boost the company's performance.

As an integrated internet platform providing benchmark prices; On October 14th, the benchmark price of cobalt on SunSirs was 355,000.00 RMB per ton, an increase of 6.32% compared with the beginning of this month (333,900.00 RMB per ton).

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