U.S. Rare Earth Company Panics: $2.8 Billion to Acquire a Brazilian Rare Earth Mine

On April 20, 2026, New York time, a seismic announcement reshaped the global rare earth landscape: USA Rare Earth—a company headquartered in Oklahoma—officially announced its agreement to acquire Brazil’s Serra Verde Group for $2.8 billion. This massive transaction—comprising $300 million in cash and approximately 126.8 million newly issued common shares—is among the largest mergers and acquisitions in rare earth industry history. More importantly, it marks a strategic inflection point for Western supply chains seeking to break long-standing dependencies on specific markets. Fueled by this news, USA Rare Earth’s stock surged nearly 9% during Monday’s early trading session in New York. At a time when consumer electronics, automotive systems, and defense platforms urgently require high-performance magnets, this deal is far more than a commercial acquisition—it is a critical maneuver to secure supply chain sovereignty. Rejecting the Role of a ‘Technology Trader’: USA Rare Earth Goes Underground Historically, USA Rare Earth has been perceived externally less as a traditional mining giant and more as an agile technology integrator. Until recently, the company owned no operating mines; its rise stemmed instead from rapid positioning across the critical minerals value chain. To address this critical gap, the company has moved aggressively this year: In January, it signed a non-binding $1.6 billion funding agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce to support mining, processing, and magnet manufacturing; earlier this month, it acquired a 12.5% stake in French rare earth processing and separation technology firm Carester SAS. The acquisition of Serra Verde represents the final piece of its vertical integration puzzle. In her official statement, Barbara Hampton, CEO of USA Rare Earth, stated plainly that Serra Verde is the only producer outside Asia capable of supplying all four magnetic rare earth elements at scale. Serra Verde operates an exceptionally valuable large-scale ion-adsorption clay deposit—capable of yielding the rare heavy elements essential for producing top-tier neodymium magnets. Through this acquisition, USA Rare Earth will build, atop its existing Texas mineral assets, a fully integrated, end-to-end industrial chain spanning mining, separation, metal production, and magnet manufacturing. The transaction is expected to close in Q3 2026. How the Brazilian Mine Became a Strategic Pawn in USA Rare Earth’s Game Serra Verde is no obscure or unknown operation—it enjoys deep capital backing and strong policy support. A privately held company funded by UK-based Denham Capital, an energy and mining group, and Vision Blue Resources Ltd., Serra Verde has emerged as a focal point in the rare earth sector since commencing commercial production in 2024.

How Is the U.S. Targeting Africa’s Copper–Cobalt Mines? A Full Breakdown of Its Four Pillars

In February 2025, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) imposed an export ban on cobalt. Although exports resumed in October of the same year, they were subject to annual quotas—set at approximately 96,600 metric tons for 2026, roughly half the 2024 export volume. This policy directly disrupted the export schedules of Chinese enterprises operating cobalt mines in the DRC. For instance, CMOC’s 2026 cobalt export quota stands at about 31,200 metric tons. Chinese firms with cobalt operations in the DRC must now incorporate these quotas into their annual operational planning. Using China’s mining development trajectory as a reference, the current competitive landscape in Africa’s copper–cobalt sector resembles China’s rare earth industry around 2010–2011: resources are highly concentrated, yet mining rights and processing rights remain fragmented across enterprises from different countries—and industrial consolidation has only just begun. Chinese enterprises have already established deep roots in the DRC’s mining sector. CMOC alone forecasts copper output of 760,000–820,000 metric tons for 2026, making it the world’s largest cobalt producer. Zijin Mining entered the DRC’s top-tier copper mining ranks via the Kamoa-Kakula project (in which it holds a 39.6% stake). According to the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), Chinese state-owned enterprises and policy banks collectively control roughly 80% of the DRC’s total cobalt output. It is not until the end of 2025 that America’s presence will begin to emerge systematically—not because the U.S. suddenly developed an interest in African minerals, but because China’s 2025 export controls on rare earths, gallium, and germanium delivered tangible pain to U.S. manufacturers through supply chain disruptions. Projects such as the ‘Prosper Africa’ initiative, OrionCMC, and the Lobito Corridor may appear independent, yet they constitute four interlocking pillars of a single, coherent system. ▌The Four Pillars of the U.S. System The core strategic value of this system lies at three nodes: who secures offtake agreements, which route the ore takes to reach the sea, and who stands ready to receive the finished product in end markets. Crucially, the U.S. neither possesses sufficient on-the-ground execution capacity nor intends to invest heavily in direct mining operations. Pillar One: Financial Leverage Key Actors: U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), Orion Critical Minerals Coalition (OrionCMC), and the U.S. Export–Import Bank (EXIM). The DFC—the U.S. government’s external investment vehicle—reached a total investment volume of $12 billion in FY2024. OrionCMC, launched in October 2025 as a public–private partnership, is led by private equity firm Orion Resource Partners and jointly capitalized by DFC, Orion, and Abu Dhabi’s ADQ, with an initial commitment of $1.8 billion and a target expansion to $5 billion. Like China’s national-level industrial guidance funds, OrionCMC does not operate projects directly. Instead, it leverages equity investments, debt financing, and pre-purchase agreements to catalyze projects. Put simply: financial tools themselves are nothing new—the decisive factor lies in what they target. In February 2026, OrionCMC signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Glencore to acquire Glencore’s stakes—40% in Mutanda Mine and 40% in Kamoto Copper Company—in the DRC, valuing the enterprise at approximately $9 billion.

Bank of America Takes $22.4 Million Stake in Minerals Technologies Inc.

Sep 24, 2026

Bank of America acquired a $22.4 million stake in Minerals Technologies Inc., purchasing over 300,000 shares. Despite recent earnings misses, the company continues focusing on long-term growth in calcium metal production and waste repurposing.

MarketBeat

2026-09-01

Bank of New York Mellon Corp Takes $20.24 Million Position in Minerals Technologies Inc.

2026-09-05

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Buys 14,801 Shares of Minerals Technologies Inc.

2026-09-06

Jupiter Topco LLC Buys Shares of 14,325 Minerals Technologies Inc. $MTX

2026-09-24

Bank of America Takes $22.4 Million Stake in Minerals Technologies Inc.

Bank of America Takes $22.4 Million Stake in Minerals Technologies Inc.

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