The ban on the export of cobalt from the Democratic Republic of Congo will be replaced by an export quota system, industry insiders say: supply and demand will be in tight balance.

On September 21st, the Congo Strategic Mineral Market Regulation Control Bureau announced that the country will end the cobalt export ban that has been in place since February starting on October 15th, and will implement an export quota system starting on October 16th until further notice. The agency stated in a declaration that for the remainder of the year, mining companies in Congo will be allowed to export over 18,000 tons of cobalt, with a maximum annual export volume of 96,600 tons in both 2026 and 2027. Quotas will be allocated based on the historical export volume of each company, and "companies will be notified". In response to this, an industry insider told reporters, "It will be a tight balance, as Indonesia gradually increases the export of crude nickel cobalt, which will make up for a portion of the volume."