A new ore-der: Can India’s Mineral Exchanges fix the price game?

Analysis In less than 14 months, an idea to bring India’s fragmented market onto a common electronic platform germinated from legislative intent to a formal regulatory framework and, finally, setting the stage for establishing mineral exchanges. The proposed exchanges cobbled an ambitious plan, ensuring a transparent marketplace where representative prices reflect demand and supply rather than relying on fragmented negotiations and auctions.

India’s mining sector has historically faced challenges on price transparency, fragmented markets and information asymmetry. Opinion | A missing link in India’s mineral mission Seeking to effectively address the issues in the sector in a holistic way, the latest institutional reforms may result in the enhanced industrial competitiveness, investment flows and supply-chain resilience.

The proposed exchange framework will spell out how miners sell output, how manufacturers procure raw materials and how India establishes credible domestic reference prices for industrial minerals. The move comes at a time when minerals are fast turning crucial to the country’s economic security and also when India is increasingly focusing on infrastructure, renewable energy, electric vehicles, defence equipment, advanced manufacturing and clean energy.

Power trading solutions provider PTC India this week said its board has approved incorporation of a wholly-owned subsidiary with an investment of ₹65 crore to set up and operate a mineral exchange. MCXI (Multi Commodity Exchange of India) has established MCX Mineral Exchange of India Limited as a wholly owned subsidiary. Opinion | Mining in India equals selling the family gold Origins of mineral exchange The amendments to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act provided the legal bedrock for the exchange, paving way for coal exchanges, marking a paradigm shift in marketing by moving from the traditional “one-to-many” sales model to a competitive “many-to-many” trading platform.

Section 18B of the MMDR Act provides for promoting markets, including trading of minerals through mineral exchanges. The Ministry of Mines subsequently framed the Mineral Exchange Rules, 2026. The regulatory responsibility will rest with the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) under the Ministry of Mines. The government has designated IBM as the authority to register and regulate mineral exchanges for minerals other than coal, lignite and atomic minerals.

An exploration of India’s minerals diplomacy An exploration of India’s minerals diplomacy India must use its country-by-country approach to build resilience across the value chain An exploration of India’s minerals diplomacy opinion 1 Need for the exchanges? Small and medium miners often have limited bargaining power when compared with large buyers. The biggest advantage will be the creation of market-driven mineral prices, which can improve cost planning especially in industries such as steel, aluminium, cement and renewable energy equipment manufacturing.

Digital trading platform can provide visibility on transaction volumes, quality specifications and prevailing prices. This could reduce information disadvantages faced by smaller miners. India — with significant mineral resources — has struggled to attract large-scale exploration investment, calling for reforms in areas such as exploration, geological data availability, logistics and investment conditions, as mentioned by NITI Aayog.

The shift of critical minerals to India’s strategic centre The shift of critical minerals to India’s strategic centre The Union Budget has highlighted India’s new ‘mineral resolve’ The shift of critical minerals to India’s strategic centre opinion 1 Tansparent market could encourage exploration companies by improving visibility of future demand and pricing. The proposed exchanges might initially see physical mineral ores (spot, delivery-based contracts), beginning with bulk minerals such as iron ore, bauxite, limestone and manganese ore.

The government has already indicated that the exchange will initially deal with ores — the direct output from mines — rather than processed metals. While existing commodity bourses mostly see trading of processed products, the proposed mineral exchange aims to create a marketplace for raw mineral resources. Iron ore, in which India has a considerable say, is seen as a strong contender for the first major contract because it combines scale, liquidity and industrial importance.

Buoyant steel demand led to India’s iron ore production witness significant jump from 152 million tonnes in 2013-14 to over 300 million tonnes recently. A transparent iron ore market is important as steel producers currently depend on negotiated procurement contracts, captive mines, auctions and benchmark prices. An exchange-based mechanism could create a more visible domestic reference price.

Lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite and rare earth elements may figure in the subsequent phases as the country expands domestic mining and processing capacity for EVs, batteries, renewable energy and defence technologies. India has already been auctioning critical mineral blocks to reduce import dependence. The exchanges are slated to begin as electronic delivery-based physical marketplace, meaning buyers and sellers trade actual mineral quantities rather than only financial contracts.

The success of the exchanges hinges on liquidity, which in turn depend on participation of enough buyers and sellers. Unlike financial assets, physical minerals involve supply chain issues including quality variations, transportation, storage and delivery. Therefore, standardisation of mineral grades will be crucial, without which, trading may remain difficult. The new exchanges should complement the existing mining regulations rather than creating additional compliance burdens.

The mining sector, which already has logistical and regional disparities, could also see a small number of large producers or buyers could dominate trading a…