The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is planning to replace its cobalt export ban with an annual quota system, effective from 16 October 2025. The DRC’s mining regulator will permit miners to export up to 18,125 tonnes (t) of cobalt for the remainder of 2025, followed by annual quotas of 96,600t for both 2026 and 2027. The DRC, which accounted for around 70% of global cobalt production last year, imposed the export ban in February 2023 after cobalt prices fell to a nine-year low, reported Reuters. In May 2025, CMOC was reported to have requested that the DRC lift a ban on exports of the battery metal, which was due to expire the following month. Traders from Glencore stated that a stable price is needed before the export ban is lifted, and cobalt-producing countries like the DRC and Indonesia need to manage oversupply.