Brazil Draws 268 Rare Earth Bids in H1 2026 as Buyers Seek China Alternatives
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 20
Brazil Draws 268 Rare Earth Bids in H1 2026 as Buyers Seek China Alternatives
3 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 20
Summary
268 rare earth exploration applications were filed in Brazil in the first half of 2026, and more than 86% of all such filings on record came in the past three years.
Foreign investors drove the rush, accounting for more than four in 10 applications, with U.S. and Australian firms leading as countries seek supplies outside China after Beijing curbed exports last year.
At least a quarter of the applications overlap with or sit within 10 kilometers of protected areas and Indigenous territories, raising risks of deforestation, polluted water, radioactive waste and community conflict.
Brazil, which holds the world’s second-largest rare earth reserves, is weighing safeguards to keep more value at home through a proposed law on critical minerals and technology transfer.