Chile is moving to open its capital markets to junior explorers with a Senate-approved bill that creates a dedicated investment framework for early-stage mining and innovation companies, including a simplified regime that avoids full Securities Registry registration and uses sponsoring agents for compliance. The package offers capital gains tax exemptions on share sales, greenfield exploration write-offs and reworked reduced-fee rules for exploration and exploitation concessions, addressing long-standing issues flagged by Agrumin and Sonami over fee-related auctions. With exploration budgets at about $874 million in 2025, 76% in copper and only $206 million in initial exploration, the reform aims to push more private capital into grassroots projects rather than major-led brownfield programmes.

A looming “space race” for critical minerals is set to accelerate state-backed mining investment, with International Council on Mining and Metals chief executive Rohitesh Dhawan arguing that geopolitical competition could rapidly expand permitting, infrastructure funding and offtake guarantees. The 2026 International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC) in Melbourne is being framed as a test of whether governments will move beyond rhetoric to concrete policy support, including streamlined approvals and public–private financing for new copper, nickel and rare earths projects.

The Institution of Civil Engineers is urging UK ministers to commission an independent economic review to quantify the costs and benefits of climate adaptation across national infrastructure, from flood defences and coastal protection to transport and energy networks. ICE wants a Treasury-level assessment, akin to the Stern Review on climate mitigation, to compare upfront capital for resilience upgrades against avoided damage to assets, service disruption and long-term maintenance. Such a review could directly influence design standards, appraisal methods and funding priorities for major projects and asset renewals.