The Future Minerals Forum (FMF), convened by the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, is set to mark a new record of scale and participation in 2026 with more than 20,000 attendees.
Speaking to Mining.com.au, FMF Director of Strategy and Content Aldo Pennini says attendance at next year’s event – taking place from 13-15 January 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – is expected to increase from 18,000 in 2025 and 3,500 in 2022.
“The program has expanded to include more than 160 global speakers, including CEOs of the world’s biggest mining companies,” Pennini says.
“Most importantly, 2026 will see delivery of initiatives started in previous years, including the World Bank infrastructure corridors, Centers of Excellence, and the ISO copper traceability standard.”
The 2026 event’s theme ‘Dawn of a Global Cause’ suggests a shift in how the minerals sector positions itself globally. The theme represents two meanings for FMF – a commitment by countries to collaborate and a development-driven agenda.
Countries will collaborate on mineral development and recognise cross-border cooperation can meet global demand, whereas the other meaning represents minerals are positions as engines for jobs, industrialisation, and long-term economic transformation in supplier countries.
Pennini says for governments and industry leaders, this means moving from national competition to shared investment, embracing an inclusive approach, and seeing FMF as the main convening platform for forging agreements.
“In essence, the theme is a call to create a global movement built around minerals as a foundation for prosperity and stability,” he says.
A new era
The ministerial roundtable, a high-level, unique government-led meeting, will headline FMF2026 – setting the stage open for ensuing discussions and activities.
Formal commitments between governments and the World Bank are expected to come out the routable, with infrastructure funding compacts for seven priority corridors – fine in Africa and two in Latin America.
Executive Director Ali Al-Mutairi says for the past four years, FMF has focused on addressing the sector’s challenges and opportunities.
“It focuses on enhancing the supply of critical minerals and their pivotal role in helping supplier countries develop by creating local value, funding infrastructure, building capacity, and enhancing transparency,” Al-Mutairi says.
FMF 2026 aims to bring decision-makers together around a common cause, heralding a new era of mineral production for global development and job creation for young people across supplier and customer countries.
Day one will focus on global mineral supply outlook, technological advances, and sustainability frameworks, while day two and three includes a series of regional leadership roundtables for Africa, Latin America, and Central Asia.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Future Minerals Forum
