The Brasilia Freeze: ANM Suspends All Mineral Auctions Indefinitely
Brasília, Brazil – January 5, 2026
The Brasilia Freeze: ANM Suspends All Mineral Auctions Indefinitely – 100,000 Areas Trapped in Regulatory Limbo.
In a move that has stunned the global mining community and sent a “scarcity shock” through the rare-earth markets, Brazil’s National Mining Agency (ANM) has officially suspended all mineral exploration auctions.
The freeze, which affects approximately 100,000 mineral areas, was confirmed this weekend as a direct result of chronic budgetary shortfalls and the fallout from regional volatility.
This administrative collapse effectively halts Brazil’s ambition to become the Western alternative to China for critical minerals like niobium, graphite, and lithium, leaving thousands of international investors in a state of high-stakes uncertainty.
Administrative Paralysis Meets Geopolitical Risk
The ANM director, José Fernando Gomes Júnior, stated that the agency lacks the “embedded costs” required to manage competitive bidding.
However, CJ Global analysts suggest that the timing—immediately following the U.S. intervention in Venezuela—points to a deeper political calculation.
By freezing new auctions, the Lula administration is essentially “circling the wagons,” preventing foreign entities from securing new strategic assets until the regional dust settles.
For the global market, this creates an immediate “Scarcity Premium.” Existing, permitted producers like Serabi Gold have seen their valuations jump as they now hold rare, operating licenses in a country where no new licenses will be issued for the foreseeable future.
With gold prices already shattering records at $4,500 per ounce, Brazil’s regulatory bottleneck is transforming from a domestic failure into a global supply constraint.
Brazil’s National Mining Agency (ANM) has indefinitely suspended all planned mineral exploration auctions due to a severe lack of financial resources and embedded operational costs.
The agency had planned to deliberate on the rules for an auction of areas with potential for critical minerals (including niobium, graphite, nickel, rare earths, and lithium) in December 2025, with the auction itself scheduled for March 2026. However, the ANM determined it could not proceed.
ANM director José Fernando Gomes Júnior stated during a board meeting that the process can only resume once the ANM’s financial situation has normalized.
This delay is notable as Brazil has been working to position itself as a major supplier of minerals crucial to the global energy transition. The suspension highlights a significant contradiction between the government’s policy objectives and the regulatory agency’s capacity to implement them. The ANM currently has a backlog of approximately 100,000 blocks awaiting tender for exploration.
