DMCC has announced its intention to join the Natural Diamond Council (NDC) in 2026, aligning the world’s largest diamond trading hub with the industry body responsible for global category marketing of natural diamonds.

The announcement was made on the sidelines of Mining Indaba in Cape Town during the second high-level meeting of the Luanda Accord. Signed in Angola in June 2025, the Luanda Accord commits producer governments and industry participants to renewed, collective investment in the promotion of natural diamonds. The framework brings together key stakeholders including DMCC, De Beers Group and producer governments, and is led by the Natural Diamond Council.

Reflecting strong government engagement, the meeting was overseen by ministers from leading African diamond-producing countries, including H.E. Diamantino Pedro Azevedo, Minister of Mineral Resources, Petroleum and Gas of Angola; H.E. Bogolo Joy Kenewendo, Minister of Minerals and Energy of Botswana; H.E. Modestus Amutse, Minister of Industries, Mines and Energy of Namibia; and H.E. Julius Daniel Mattai, Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources of Sierra Leone.

DMCC’s move comes at a time of structural pressure for the global diamond industry, as shifting consumer preferences, increased competition and heightened scrutiny around provenance and responsible sourcing reshape demand. Founded and funded by leading diamond producers and industry stakeholders, the NDC aims to rebuild consumer confidence through coordinated global marketing and education initiatives, particularly in key consumer markets.

By declaring its intent to join the council, DMCC said it will support collective efforts to strengthen consumer demand for natural diamonds, in line with the principles of the Luanda Accord. The move forms part of Dubai’s broader strategy to reinforce its influence across the global diamond ecosystem as the sector seeks to stabilise trade flows and return to sustainable growth.

The Cape Town meeting also marked the formal accession of the Government of Namibia to the Luanda Accord, while India’s Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) signed a memorandum of understanding outlining a pathway to join the NDC by May 2026. Alongside DMCC’s announcement, these developments signal growing momentum behind coordinated global marketing for natural diamonds. Membership of the NDC remains subject to agreement on financial contributions and the completion of internal legal and regulatory processes.

Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DMCC, said: “Our decision to join the Natural Diamond Council reflects both the scale of Dubai’s role in the global diamond trade and our responsibility to support the long-term integrity and demand of the natural diamond category. As the world’s leading diamond trade hub and home to more than 1,300 diamond companies, this step underscores our commitment to strengthening consumer confidence and safeguarding the future of the sector.

“At a time of structural change across the industry, collective action grounded in transparency, responsible sourcing and sustained consumer trust is essential. DMCC will continue to work closely with industry and producer governments, contributing our convening power and market insight to initiatives that support the resilience and long-term growth of the global diamond sector.”

Amber Pepper, Chief Executive Officer of the Natural Diamond Council, said: “Collective action is essential to protect the integrity and desirability of natural diamonds. I welcome the opportunity to work with DMCC to ensure that efforts to support the natural diamond sector are aligned and amplified globally.”

DMCC is home to the Dubai Diamond Exchange and a community of more than 1,300 diamond and precious stones companies. Over the past two decades, it has played a central role in shaping global diamond trade flows while contributing to international policy discussions on governance, traceability and compliance through its longstanding engagement with the Kimberley Process, which it has chaired on three occasions.

The Luanda Accord signatories and the Natural Diamond Council have called on stakeholders across the value chain, from miners and traders to manufacturers and retailers, to support the initiative, stressing that sustained investment in consumer demand will be critical to the long-term resilience of the natural diamond sector.

Critical Metals Corp., a critical minerals company headquartered in New York, has signed a non-binding term sheet to form a 50/50 joint venture with Tariq Abdel Hadi Abdullah Al-Qahtani & Brothers Company (TQB), a 75-year-old industrial conglomerate based in Saudi Arabia.

The partnership aims to establish a state-of-the-art rare earth processing facility in the Kingdom, creating a fully integrated mine-to-processing supply chain and securing long-term offtake rights for 25% of the Tanbreez Project’s rare earth concentrate production.

The facility will produce separated rare earth oxides, metals, and downstream products, including magnet-grade materials for aerospace, defense, and advanced industrial applications. All finished materials are planned for shipment to the United States to support the country’s defense industrial complex, strengthening supply chain security for Western-aligned markets.

Tony Sage, Chairman of Critical Metals Corp., said, “This agreement represents a transformational milestone for Critical Metals Corp. By partnering with a leading Saudi Arabian industrial group and securing long-term offtake that brings Tanbreez to 100% committed production, we have effectively de-risked the project’s commercial pathway from mine to market. The establishment of an integrated processing platform in Saudi Arabia not only diversifies global rare earth processing capacity beyond China but also strengthens supply chain security for allied nations across Europe, the Middle East, and beyond. This transaction positions CRML as a cornerstone supplier of critical minerals essential to advanced manufacturing, energy transition technologies, and national security applications for decades to come.”

Under the JV framework, CRML will retain its 50% ownership interest on a carried-interest basis, without issuing equity or incurring debt for the construction of the processing facility. The partnership ensures 100% of Tanbreez production is now under long-term offtake agreements, providing full revenue visibility and supporting allied markets. A jointly governed development committee will oversee engineering, construction, commissioning, and market entry for the processed products.

Abdulmalik Tariq Al-Qahtani, CEO of TQB, commented, “Following the successful official visit of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the United States, we are pleased to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding focused on cooperation in the development of critical materials. Critical materials—sourced from strategically important regions including Greenland and other resource-rich jurisdictions—form the foundation of modern technologies across energy, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, defense, and data infrastructure. Securing diversified and resilient supply chains for these materials is essential to long-term technological progress.”

CRML and TQB will now work together to finalise the technical, commercial, and regulatory foundations of the JV, including plant design, development timelines, product specifications, and commercialisation strategy. The initiative is a major step toward diversifying rare earth processing capacity, reducing reliance on China, and strengthening global supply chain resilience.

Seequent, the Bentley Subsurface Company, will participate in the fifth edition of the Future Minerals Forum (FMF), taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 13-15 January 2026.

The company will use the event to showcase its geoscience technologies, highlighting its role in advancing data-driven mineral exploration in Saudi Arabia and engaging with industry leaders on the future of the regional mining sector.

Seequent’s participation aligns with its commitment to supporting the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 and will underline its involvement in major mining projects across the Kingdom. Visitors to the company’s stand will be able to explore its portfolio of solutions, including MX Deposit, Imago, Leapfrog, Evo platform and Oasis Montaj, and see how these technologies integrate to form a connected digital ecosystem for exploration and mining.

Dr. Janina Elliott, Segment Director for Mining at Seequent, said, “Seequent’s participation in this dynamic event underscores our longstanding vision to promote sustainable mining practices and digital innovation in the Middle East. It also highlights our expertise in the geoscience and data-driven exploration sector, as well as our position as a market leader trusted by nine of the world’s top ten mining companies.”

As part of the FMF 2026 programme, Dr. Elliott will take part in a panel discussion titled ‘Tackling the Data Challenge in Geological Surveying and Exploration’.

Ahead of the forum, Seequent will host a pre-FMF workshop in partnership with AGC Al Haytham Mining Company on 12 January 2026, prior to the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two organisations. Titled ‘Unlocking Integrated Workflows – Seequent Solutions for Exploration and Resource Modelling’, the workshop will be led by Amjad Alashqar, Seequent’s Regional Manager of Business Development. The session will focus on how digital integration can reduce operational risks, improve decision-making and strengthen collaboration across exploration and mining teams.

FMF 2026 will provide a platform for Seequent to engage with C-suite executives, policymakers and international mining stakeholders. The company continues to expand its footprint in the Middle East, with offices in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and supports major industry players and regional giga-projects through its advanced geoscience technologies.

Energy Capital Group (ECG), a Riyadh-based specialist investor, has launched a $300 million private equity fund aimed at supporting Saudi Arabia’s industrial transformation and advancing the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 objectives.

The ECG-Industrial Metals and Services Fund will focus on investments in integrated industrial and mining services that strengthen local supply chains and support long-term industrial growth.

The fund has already secured around US$100mn in soft commitments from investors. ECG focuses on energy, industrial and resource-based sectors, with a strategy centred on building and scaling businesses that reinforce critical supply chains and contribute to sustainable industrial development across the region.

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 sets out an ambitious agenda to diversify the economy, attract domestic and international investment, and position the Kingdom as a global industrial and investment hub. Through targeted investments in metals services and supply chains, the new fund is intended to support these goals while capitalising on the Kingdom’s expanding mining and industrial base.

Ali Alturki, Managing Partner of ECG, said, “The aim of this fund is to capitalise on Saudi Arabia’s generational mining investment opportunity, supporting the localisation of essential services and driving innovation across industry and downstream processing.
This new fund will support the Kingdom’s ambition by investing in Saudi-based service platforms, positioning metals supply as a reliable, contracted service to the Kingdom’s industrial base.

“For this fund we are partnering with Jay Hambro and the Verdigris team who bring broad knowledge of the metals sector and an excellent track record of value delivery.”

Jay Hambro has joined ECG as Managing Partner for the ECG – Industrial Metals and Services Fund, with the team from Verdigris Strategic providing sector-specific strategic advice. Verdigris Strategic is a metals supply chain services advisory group with experience across global markets.

Hambro said, “ECG’s new fund’s strategy places it at the forefront of a rapidly evolving sector critical to the energy transition and supply chain resilience. Saudi Arabia has identified US$2.5 trillion in untapped mineral resource capability which is being scaled rapidly through licencing rounds, public capital and policy support. The Kingdom has recently issued over two thousand exploration licences and is targeting a US$75bn contribution to its GDP before the end of the decade.

“My team and I have been working with ECG, one of leading industrial services private equity investors in the region, for nearly four years and the fund is a natural evolution in this partnership.”

The fund was launched at the 2026 Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh, a government-led platform focused on shaping the future of the global minerals sector, held at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center.