Brazilian Mining 2016–2026
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Area 3 of 3

Investment opportunities: where they are and how to unlock them

Deposits already discovered, areas returned to the market and the race for critical minerals, using the complete Mining Registry (Cadastro Mineiro) database. At the end, an agenda of regulatory improvements to attract investors, built on an existing foundation of legal certainty.

Data through Oct 24, 2026Complete Mining Registry databaseReserves: USGS 2026

The opportunity window ·

Scope: —

Race for critical minerals—exploration applications for critical minerals (2021–2026)Lithium: from 13 applications in 2020 to 2,736 in 2023
Deposits already discovered—positive reports awaiting decisionProjects ready to move forward once decided
Returned areas—areas that became open again through the auctionsIn Brazil, about —
Strategic reserves2/3of the world's niobium reserves are in BrazilGraphite: 2nd largest reserve in the world · rare earths: 11 million t (USGS)
An existing foundation
Stable rules since 1967, and ownership of the mined product guaranteed by the Federal Constitution.
Priority right: the first applicant has preference over the area.
86% of positive reports decided were approved.
77 days from application to permit, versus 232 in 2014–2019.

Map by state

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Click a state to filter; choose a mineral in the bar to see it alone.

Opportunities in the selected scope

Critical mineral applications, 2021–2026—Exploration applications
Deposits awaiting decision—Positive final reports
Open areas after the auctions—Available for new application
Approved without a mining application—Projects with an approved deposit
Brazil as a whole

The race for critical minerals

Exploration applications filed each year. Demand for lithium and rare earths took off from 2022.

Lithium

Exploration applications by year, Brazil. In 2020: — · peak: — in —. 2026 through October.

Rare earths

Exploration applications by year, Brazil. In 2020: — · peak: — in —. 2026 through October.

Copper

Exploration applications by year, Brazil. In 2020: — · peak: — in —. 2026 through October.

Graphite

Exploration applications by year, Brazil. In 2020: — · peak: — in —. 2026 through October.

Niobium and tantalum

Exploration applications by year, Brazil. In 2020: — · peak: — in —. 2026 through October.

Phosphate

Exploration applications by year, Brazil. In 2020: — · peak: — in —. 2026 through October.

Deposits and areas by mineral

For the selected state; critical minerals in green.

Critical mineral applications, 2021–2026

Exploration applications by mineral.

Deposits with a positive report awaiting decision

Metallic minerals, fertilizers and gemstones.

Open areas after the auctions

By mineral of the area offered.

Legal certainty: what is already guaranteed

Despite the bottlenecks, investors find stable rules, protected rights and an agency that approves the vast majority of what it decides.

Legal certainty

Ownership of the product

The Federal Constitution (art. 176) guarantees the concession holder ownership of the mined product.

Legal certainty

Priority right

Whoever first applies for an open area has preference over it (Mining Code, art. 11).

Legal certainty

Decades-old rules

The Mining Code has been in force since 1967; the ANM was created by law in 2017 (Law 13,575).

Legal certainty

Favorable decisions

86% of positive reports already decided were approved, and 87% of extensions decided were granted.

Legal certainty

Faster at the front door

The time from application to permit fell from 232 to 77 days (median, 2014–2019 versus 2024–2026).

Legal certainty

Open auctions

Since 2020 the agency has been returning to the market, through electronic auctions, areas that had been idle under availability.

Agenda to attract investment

Seven regulatory improvements, each tied to a figure from the complete database.

Proposal 1

Deadline to decide on the final report

Set a legal deadline for decisions on positive final reports, with risk-based review and technical responsibility borne by the licensed professional.

Today: 11,019 positive reports await decision, with a median wait of 1,043 days.
Proposal 2

Clear the backlog of old applications

A task force with public targets for applications pending for more than two years, and an open dashboard of turnaround times by regional office.

Today: 60,196 applications pending for more than two years.
Proposal 3

Continuous auctions and a map of open areas

Offer areas on a continuous basis and publish a single map of available areas, with the geological data already submitted to the agency.

Today: 12,820 areas became open again after the auctions.
Proposal 4

Release the area of a negative report

File/close the negative report (art. 30, III) and return the area to the market, instead of keeping it locked up through non-approval.

2014–2026: 32,245 non-approvals versus only 69 filings/closures.
Proposal 5

TAH with automatic notice and billing

Advance notice and an automatic payment slip for the TAH (annual per-hectare fee), so that titles are not lost through oversight.

41% of permits went at least one year without paying the TAH.
Proposal 6

Fast track for critical minerals

Review priority for lithium, rare earths, graphite, copper and nickel, already covered by the national strategic minerals policy.

Lithium applications jumped from 13 (2020) to 2,736 (2023).
Proposal 7

Technical staff and stable systems

Sustain the rebuilding of staff and ensure the stability of the digital filing system, the foundation for everything else.

843 staff at the end of 2025; 76 equivalent days of system downtime in 2026.

State comparison

Click a row to filter; click a column header to sort.

Mining Registry (ANM): exploration applications by declared main commodity and filing date; positive final reports for permits published since 2014 with no decision as of Oct 24, 2026; areas from the 2020–2024 availability rounds that ended without a holder (no bidder, no proposal, sole interested party that did not file, or unpaid bid). Case files in more than one state are counted in the first state listed in the registry. Critical minerals: lithium, rare earths, graphite, copper, nickel, cobalt, niobium and tantalum, vanadium, manganese, titanium, tin, phosphate and potash.

Reserves: USGS, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 (niobium: 14 of more than 21 million t; natural graphite: 74 million t, 2nd largest; rare earths: 11 million t).