Country Focus: Singapore - Navigating Global Critical Mineral Complexities

Singapore's iconic Marina Bay Waterfront showcasing its tourism and financial hub status

Singapore is known for many things globally. From the iconic Gardens by the Bay and Jewel at Changi Airport to its global financial hub status and global economic competitiveness, Singapore has consistently risen above the constraints of its limited geographical size on the global stage.

It is a known fact that Singapore is not blessed with natural mineral resources unlike its neighbours in the ASEAN region. Hence, Singapore relies on its role as a global logistics, finance and trading hub to navigate the complexities of the global critical minerals ecosystem.

How Singapore is using critical minerals

While Singapore does not extract raw minerals, it plays a strategic role in processing high-tech materials for batteries and electronics. Singapore also provides recycling solutions for critical minerals as it works to enhance its supply chain resilience. As a major global trading hub and a key consumer of critical minerals—such as lithium, rare earth elements, and cobalt—Singapore is actively seeking innovative ways to secure and diversify its supply. Adopting advanced recycling technologies, including the recovery and reuse of minerals from electronic waste and used batteries, align well with Singapore’s goals to strengthen sustainability in key sectors like energy, electronics, and semiconductors.

Singapore is investing heavily in energy diversification and carbon reduction. In fact the Singapore government announced in 2025 that it is on track to achieve its target of net zero emissions by 2050, with plans to increase proportion of solar energy in the country’s overall electricity mix from the current 2 per cent to 10 per cent by 2050. These efforts are reliant on the usage of critical minerals.

Challenges

However, as a global trade hub, Singapore is vulnerable to supply chain disruptions. Be it trade tensions, environmental bans, or geopolitical factors, it could trigger a chain reaction that impacts Singapore across various sectors.

Manufacturing sectors dependent on high-tech components may face cost spikes or production delays. In the energy sector, delays in adopting solar, wind and EV technologies due to rare earth shortages could slow Singapore’s green targets.

With Singapore being a major semiconductor manufacturing hub, disruption of critical minerals like silicon would directly impede chip production and likely decrease national economic growth.

The Path Ahead

Singapore government has always maintained a proactive diplomatic strategy, cultivating international partnerships across various countries and sectors since its founding days. Without domestic mining capabilities, Singapore has always actively engaged with mineral-rich countries and key players in the critical mineral supply chain to ensure a stable and reliable supply of critical minerals. This strategy has proven to be successful thus far for the island nation.

Also, Singapore has always leveraged on its financial hub status and location at the heart of South East Asia to facilitate and grow critical minerals trade in the ASEAN region. There is definite potential for Singapore to build on this and become a regional hub for critical minerals trading and certification. Singapore can also support investments in upstream projects in resource-rich regions and promote innovation in mineral recycling and sustainable refining practices. Through this, it could uplift the mining and critical minerals sector in the ASEAN and wider Asian region.

Singapore will host the 11th edition of Mining Asia Conference and Exhibition from 23-24 June 2026. Find out more at https://www.miningasiaconvention.com