SWISS HUB · ~60% GLOBAL METALS TRADE · PAID INTEL MODEL · HUMAN DELIVERY

Critical Minerals
Last-Mile Intelligence

Switzerland clears roughly 60% of global copper, aluminium and iron-ore trade (and major shares of other commodities) from Geneva and Zug desks — without the physical metal ever touching Swiss soil. Ownership chains, project status, permit filings and non-API trade registries remain fragmented. We surface the residual gap and package it as operator-grade paid intelligence — Platts / ICIS style — for the energy-transition metals stack.

Operating Thesis

Critical minerals (lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, graphite, rare earths, manganese, platinum-group metals…) are the new choke points of the energy transition. Price assessments and headline news already exist (Platts, Argus, Benchmark, ICIS). This surface does not publish or replace those assessments. The residual last mile is still opaque: beneficial ownership, project-level status from non-API government portals, Swiss trading-desk exposure, African and Latin-American mine registries, EU Critical Raw Materials Act strategic projects, and continuous monitoring of permit / export-control changes. LensDNA OS closes that residual with Bright Data unlock + optic vision + continuous case memory. The commercial path is paid dossiers, monitoring subscriptions and operator packs — the same information-services model that made Platts and ICIS essential, applied to the critical-minerals residual. Human delivery only. No auto-publish of paid intel.

What actually constrains residual intelligence work

Trading houses, offtake desks and project sponsors operate inside overlapping Swiss, EU and international rules. The residual non-API surfaces we target (ownership, project status, permits, export controls) sit inside these frameworks. Below is an operator-oriented map — not advice. Always confirm with counsel for any live transaction or published dossier.

EU Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA)
34 critical raw materials; strategic subset for energy transition (Li, Co, Ni battery-grade, REE for magnets, Cu, graphite, etc.). Strategic projects, offtake priorities, and diversification targets create continuous non-API filing and status surfaces across Member States and third-country partners. Residual value: project status, permit progress, and strategic-project designation tracking that price feeds do not cover.
Swiss Code of Obligations Art. 964j–l
Due diligence and transparency for minerals/metals from conflict-affected or high-risk areas (3TG) and child-labour risks. First reports filed for FY 2023 onward. Criminal exposure for false statements (Art. 325ter SCC, fines up to CHF 100k for responsible board members). Residual value: verification of origin chains and report consistency that still requires non-API source work.
Swiss beneficial ownership & AML reform
Central beneficial-ownership register under consultation (through Jan 2026) + expanded AMLA scope to certain consultancy / structuring services. Residual value: mapping ultimate control of trading vehicles and project SPVs — still fragmented across registries and non-API filings.
EU CSDDD cascade
Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive does not hit every Swiss trader automatically (high EU turnover thresholds; phased). Real exposure for most Swiss desks is contractual: EU buyers cascade audit, remediation and data obligations into offtake and supply contracts. Residual value: monitoring of contractual due-diligence demands and non-API supporting evidence.
Sanctions & trade controls
SECO enforcement (Ukraine Ordinance and others), US/UK/EU secondary exposure, dual-use and critical-mineral export controls (e.g. gallium, germanium, REE, graphite). Residual value: continuous screening of counterparties, vessels, and offtake chains that pure price platforms do not perform.
Prices vs residual intelligence
Platts, Argus, Benchmark and ICIS remain the reference for assessed prices. LensDNA does not publish assessments. Our paid product sits around the price layer: ownership, project status, permit/export-control residual, and continuous case memory that those services do not fully close.

Operator note: frameworks evolve. CRMA strategic-project lists, Swiss BO register implementing ordinances, and CSDDD cascade timing should be re-checked before any published dossier or commercial commitment. This section is orientation only.

Geneva · Zug cluster clears the majority of global metals trade

Yes — the major trading houses are the core prospect set for residual critical-minerals intelligence. They already buy price assessments. What still costs internal time is the non-API residual (ownership, project status, permit/export-control, offtake opacity). Below are the flagship Swiss-hub names plus metals-relevant global producers. Seed cards below the discovery panel are clickable and load prepared residual angles.

Glencore
Baar / Zug · listed · metals + energy
Copper, cobalt, zinc · African asset residual
Trafigura
Geneva hub · private
Metals + energy · offtake & origin residual
Vitol
Geneva ops · private
Largest independent · metals exposure growing
Mercuria
Geneva · private
Energy + metals · project residual
Gunvor
Geneva · private
Energy + metals · compliance residual
BHP · Rio Tinto · Freeport
Global producers
Copper / criticals · permit & project residual
Albemarle · SQM · Lithium Americas
Lithium majors
Project timeline & offtake residual
Lynas · MP Materials
Non-China REE
Processing & offtake residual

These names are the known pond. Discovery below surfaces the long tail (smaller Swiss desks, project SPVs, CRMA strategic projects, offtake counterparties).

🔍 Discover Critical-Minerals Surfaces

Bright Data + Exa in parallel → merge unique candidates → domain-aware Gemini scoring for residual non-API gap, ownership opacity, Swiss trading exposure, and paid-intel product fit. Prefer residual chips below (ownership · project status · permits · CRMA · due diligence). Avoid pure price/outlook queries — those under-use the residual loop and do not replace Platts/Argus/Benchmark. Prioritise High / Medium only. Human outreach or paid-dossier sale — never auto-send.

Idle · Chip → Discover + Score → Forge Decision Dossier
Discovery results appear here. Residual non-API gap · ownership opacity · Swiss desk exposure · paid-intel fit. Price-only queries under-use this surface.
Ready
Idle · Scan → Deep Fit → Article / Thread · Maps + PDF
Select a seed target above or paste any company / project URL. Live Bright Data + Gemini residual-gap analysis + paid-intel product angle + Maps optic + PDF dossier.

Commercial Model

This surface prepares research and operator packs only. It does not publish price assessments or auto-distribute paid intelligence. Preferred path: forge precise residual-gap dossiers and inbound thought pieces; decision-makers at trading houses, offtake desks, project sponsors and EU strategic-project teams reach hans@lensdna.app first. Paid information services (subscription monitoring, ownership dossiers, project trackers) are the intended monetisation — the same category as Platts, Argus, Benchmark and ICIS, focused on the non-API residual that those platforms do not fully close.

LensDNA OS · Critical Minerals Intelligence · Swiss commodity hub · EU CRMA · residual non-API last mile · Prospect Intelligence · Schedule D · Health Admin DNA · Contact: hans@lensdna.app