Indonesia Critical Minerals Summit 2026: Bali Guide

The Indonesia Critical Minerals Summit 2026 returns to Bali for its third consecutive year with official backing from Indonesia’s Ministry of Investment and Downstream Industry (BKPM) — a signal of government commitment that has accompanied every edition of the event. Organised by Fastmarkets and running 27–30 September 2026 at the InterContinental Jimbaran Resort, the summit is targeting 450 attendees from 30 or more countries, with 75 or more speakers drawn from mining, processing, battery supply chain, original equipment manufacturers, finance and policy.

Note: this is a different event from the SMM-organised Indonesia Critical Minerals Conference & Expo, held in Jakarta in June — see CMN’s guide to that event if you’re looking for it.

Indonesia Critical Minerals Summit 2026 — Key Details

For 2026, ICMMS runs alongside CT Asia — Fastmarkets’ commodity trading, energy and bulk commodities event — at the InterContinental Bali Resort for the first time. Combined, the two co-located events are targeting over 2,000 C-suite attendees. Delegates registered for either event can attend sessions and networking at both, opening direct access to the energy transition finance and bulk commodity trading ecosystem that underpins Indonesia’s industrial transformation. Joint workshops on 28 September address energy costs and the coal-to-transition intersection specifically.

What to Expect at the Indonesia Critical Minerals Summit 2026

The 2026 programme introduces a dedicated aluminium stream for the first time, alongside expanded sessions on cobalt, sulphur, tailings recycling and hydrometallurgical processing competitiveness. Confirmed agenda themes include:

Nickel and HPAL: High-pressure acid leach processing economics and scale-up remain central. Indonesia is the world’s largest nickel reserve holder, and HPAL technology is the mechanism by which that ore is converted into battery-grade intermediate product. Sessions on HPAL competitiveness and processing margins are directly relevant to project developers and offtake buyers. See CMN’s nickel price tracker for current benchmark data.

Aluminium and bauxite: A new dedicated stream covers Indonesia’s bauxite downstream agenda. Indonesia banned raw bauxite exports in June 2023 to force domestic processing — this stream examines how that policy is playing out and what downstream aluminium capacity is emerging.

Cobalt: Deeper sessions on cobalt reflect the metal’s increased supply chain sensitivity. Indonesia is not a primary cobalt producer, but HPAL processing of nickel laterites produces cobalt as a co-product — making Indonesian HPAL economics directly relevant to cobalt price forecasting. Sessions will address supply concentration risk and the role of Indonesian mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP) in global cobalt supply.

Copper and downstream processing: Indonesia’s downstream ambitions extend to copper. Sessions cover the country’s processing capacity development and its role in the broader Asia critical minerals supply chain.

Sulphur and tailings recycling: HPAL processing is sulphur-intensive. Sessions on sulphur supply and tailings management address operational and environmental constraints on Indonesian processing growth.

Gold, tin and the DSI policy question: The 2026 programme adds gold and tin to the bauxite and aluminium stream on day two, alongside sessions on precursor and cathode manufacturing location decisions. A recurring policy thread across both days is Danantara Sumberdaya Indonesia (DSI), the state investment vehicle whose implications for trading strategies, contracts and regional commodity pricing are drawing close attention from delegates assessing counterparty and offtake risk. Closed-door roundtables run throughout the programme, including sessions on investor and banker perspectives with the World Bank, China-Indonesia technology and demand dynamics, sulphuric acid and HPAL cost structures, and a dedicated rare earths discussion.

Why Indonesia Matters for Global Critical Minerals Supply

Indonesia holds the world’s largest nickel reserves — an estimated 21 million tonnes of nickel content according to the US Geological Survey, representing approximately 23% of global reserves. That position has made Indonesia the central battleground in the contest over battery-grade nickel supply, with Chinese processing groups dominating HPAL investment since 2018.

The downstream processing push extends beyond nickel. Indonesia’s 2023 bauxite export ban mirrors its earlier nickel ore export ban and reflects a consistent policy objective: capture value-added processing onshore rather than export raw material. The government’s BKPM, which has officially supported ICMMS for three consecutive years, is the principal regulatory body overseeing foreign investment in the downstream sector.

For Western battery supply chain participants, Indonesia presents both an opportunity and a dependency risk. HPAL capacity is predominantly Chinese-owned, raising questions about the eligibility of Indonesian-processed nickel and cobalt under the US Inflation Reduction Act’s Foreign Entity of Concern (FEOC) provisions and the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act supply chain requirements. These policy tensions are expected to feature in the 2026 programme’s policy sessions.

For a broader view of the region’s critical minerals landscape, see CMN’s Asia critical minerals hub and Indonesia critical minerals country hub.

Who Should Attend the Indonesia Critical Minerals Summit 2026

Fastmarkets operates a paid, vetted delegate model — registration is not open to all comers, and delegate lists skew toward senior decision-makers. The target audience for ICMMS 2026 includes:

Mining and processing companies: Nickel laterite miners, HPAL operators, bauxite and copper producers with Indonesian assets or offtake exposure.

Battery supply chain and OEMs: Procurement teams sourcing battery-grade nickel sulphate, cobalt sulphate, and MHP. OEM sustainability teams assessing FEOC and CRMA compliance of Indonesian-origin material.

Investors and finance: Project finance teams, commodity trading desks, and fund managers with exposure to Indonesian nickel, bauxite, or energy transition metals.

Policy and government: Trade ministries, investment agencies, and multilateral institutions tracking Indonesia’s downstream policy implementation.

The CT Asia co-location adds commodity trading and energy transition finance delegates to the networking pool — relevant for participants with exposure to bulk commodity markets adjacent to critical minerals.

Registration and Pricing

Registration for the Indonesia Critical Minerals Summit 2026 is open now. Early bird pricing closes on 10 July 2026. Three delegate pass tiers are available, and group rates apply from two or more delegates from the same organisation. A limited number of preferential rate passes are available for qualifying critical minerals professionals, subject to eligibility conditions.

Register and view full pass options via the Fastmarkets ICMMS 2026 event page.

For a full schedule of critical minerals events in 2026, see CMN’s critical minerals events guide.