Washington, D.C. – U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) Chief of Staff and Head of Investments Conor Coleman participated in the Critical Minerals Ministerial hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the U.S. Department of State today. The ministerial brought together senior U.S. and foreign government officials committed to building secure, resilient, and transparent critical minerals supply chains.

“The Trump administration has shown unprecedented leadership in its efforts to secure critical minerals vital to U.S. strategic interests and economic prosperity. As the U.S. government’s international investment arm, DFC is dedicated to working closely with the White House, interagency, and Congress to ensure access to these key resources and safeguard America’s economic growth and security,” said Ben Black, DFC CEO.

Mr. Coleman participated in a plenary session focused on showcasing the U.S. government’s funding instruments and programs for public-private investment in critical minerals. He spoke alongside senior officials from the Department of Commerce, Department of Energy, Export-Import Bank, and the Department of War’s Office of Strategic Capital. The discussion highlighted how these tools can support supply chain security and encourage international and private sector investment.

Recent DFC critical minerals investments include:

• Gécamines/Mercuria: Following the issuance of DFC’s letter of interest in December, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s state-owned enterprise Gécamines, through its trading joint venture with commodity trader Mercuria, has sold and started shipping approximately 100,000 tons of copper committed to the United States and plans to sell and ship an additional 50,000 tons to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. These transactions reflect a shared commitment to strengthening secure and diversified critical mineral supply chains, consistent with the objectives outlined in the prospective joint venture.
• Serra Verde: DFC has signed a financing agreement with SVRE Holdings Ltd. for a $565 million loan to optimize and expand the Pela Ema rare earths mine in Brazil, which will help develop a Western-aligned source of rare earth elements, including heavy rare earth elements.
• Cove Kaz Capital: DFC has issued LOIs exploring up to $700 million for both debt financing and project development funding for Cove Kaz Capital Group’s investment in the Severniy Katpar Tungsten Mine in Kazakhstan.
• Critical Minerals Consortium: As of January 2026, DFC closed on its $600 million investment in the Orion Critical Mineral Consortium (Orion CMC), a landmark $1.8 billion public‑private partnership jointly established by DFC, Orion Resource Partners LP, and ADQ. Through this platform, the partners will invest in critical mineral projects across DFC‑eligible jurisdictions. Orion will originate and lead transactions, while DFC and ADQ retain the ability to provide strategic guidance and participate on a deal‑by‑deal basis. The consortium is designed to deploy capital flexibly across debt, equity, and production‑linked instruments (including royalties, streams, and offtakes) and currently has a robust pipeline of global critical minerals opportunities under evaluation.
• URIF: DFC made a $75 million equity investment in the United States-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund, which is matched by the Ukrainian government for a total of $150M, to invest in critical minerals and other strategic sectors in Ukraine.

Securing critical minerals supply chains has been and remains an important priority sector to DFC’s investment strategy and portfolio. A diverse supply chain of critical minerals is essential to developing and powering modern industries, such as advanced technology and energy, that will secure U.S. growth and security in the future.

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The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), established in 2019 with bipartisan support under President Trump, is the international investment arm of the U.S. Government. DFC partners with the private sector to advance U.S. foreign policy and strengthen national security by mobilizing private capital around the world. DFC invests across strategic sectors including critical minerals, modern infrastructure, and advanced technology — fostering economic development, supporting U.S. interests, and delivering returns to American taxpayers.