Insights
Notes from the international trade desk
Practical commentary on sourcing, compliance, documentation and logistics. Nothing here is investment advice or a forecast of price.
Responsible sourcing
What due diligence actually looks like for Great Lakes minerals
Documented origin, upstream traceability records and independent verification — and why terms such as "conflict-free" should never be used casually.
Documentation
The export file: what a complete consignment record contains
Certificates of origin, export authorisation, assay and inspection certificates, transport documents and the chain-of-custody trail that ties them together.
Copper
Cathodes versus concentrates: what changes for the buyer
Payable terms, penalty elements, moisture and inspection points differ materially between refined cathode and concentrate purchases.
Logistics
Routing East and Central African consignments
How corridor choice, insurance responsibility and Incoterm selection interact on a regional export.
Compliance
Why we decline enquiries
Unverifiable origin, third-party payers, opaque ownership and sanctions exposure are the most common reasons a file does not progress.
Gold
Assay basis and settlement: getting the fundamentals right
Where the assay is taken, who appoints the laboratory and how umpire procedures are agreed before contracting.
Full articles are published to registered buyers as they are released.