Fastmarkets chooses TMX Trayport as technology partner for lithium market infrastructure. September 16, 2026 Fastmarkets today announced its collaboration with TMX Trayport, a global provider of trading networks, platforms and solutions, to underpin Fastmarkets Connect, its digital platform for the physical lithium market. This brings together Fastmarkets' lithium market expertise with TMX Trayport's established technology, to create trusted digital infrastructure with greater transparency, connectivity and access to spot liquidity. Fastmarkets Connect is the new name for the digital price discovery and deal initiation proposition announced in June at the Global Lithium, Battery & Critical Materials conference in Las Vegas. TMX Trayport's technology is widely used across established commodity markets, including energy, environmental markets and bulk commodities. By working with TMX Trayport, Fastmarkets will bring proven market infrastructure to the lithium sector, where electronic price discovery and deal initiation mechanisms remain less developed than in many more mature commodity markets. This collaboration marks the next stage in the development of the platform to support electronic price discovery. Fastmarkets Connect is being designed to support bilateral deal initiation, improve market transparency, standardization and connect participants across the lithium supply chain. Fastmarkets Connect aims to contribute to the continued development of lithium market infrastructure. Under the arrangement, TMX Trayport will provide the platform technology, while Fastmarkets will operate Fastmarkets Connect and oversee its governance, development and market engagement. The development of the platform is in consultation with an industry advisory group of market participants from across the lithium value chain. "We selected TMX Trayport because of its proven ability to support complex commodity markets with trusted, scalable technology. Their experience in market connectivity and enabling digital execution, combined with Fastmarkets' lithium expertise, gives Fastmarkets Connect a strong foundation to support a more efficient and connected physical lithium market," said Raju Daswani, CEO of Fastmarkets. "We're excited for the opportunity to introduce our proven digital market technology solutions into a sector where electronic workflows and market networks are still in their infancy," said Matt Brief, president of TMX Trayport. "We look forward to working with Fastmarkets to design and deliver foundational infrastructure to the rapidly evolving lithium market, helping it become more connected, transparent and efficient." Fastmarkets' IOSCO-compliant benchmark prices are essential to physical lithium contracts and act as the settlement reference for futures listed on the CME, London Metal Exchange, ICE and SGX. The platform complements that pricing expertise with a digital space to discover prices and initiate deals and is being built with input from an advisory group of industry participants.

Author and journalist, Henry Sanderson, joins Fastmarkets to strengthen critical minerals and energy transition coverage. Read more on how he will contribute to reporting, analysis and thought leadership across Fastmarkets. September 10, 2026 Fastmarkets is pleased to announce the appointment of Henry Sanderson as Strategic Markets Editor. Sanderson joins Fastmarkets with more than a decade of experience reporting on commodities, mining and critical mineral supply chains. He has established himself as one of the leading voices on the global energy transition and the markets that underpin it, bringing deep expertise in battery materials, critical minerals and China's role in global commodity markets. Prior to joining Fastmarkets, Sanderson covered China for Bloomberg in Beijing before joining the Financial Times in 2014, where he reported on commodities and mining and pioneered coverage of the emerging global battery supply chain. He later served as Executive Editor at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. Sanderson is also the author of Volt Rush: The Winners and Losers in the Race to Go Green, which was named one of the best books of the year by The Times. In addition to his journalism career, he is an Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London and a Visiting Fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. His expertise is widely recognized by policymakers and industry leaders. Sanderson has testified before the UK Parliament and advised the US State Department on critical mineral supply chains, providing insight into the strategic importance of materials essential to the energy transition. Perrine Faye, Global Head of Editorial and Pricing at Fastmarkets, said: "We are delighted to welcome Henry to Fastmarkets. He is widely recognized as one of the leading voices covering critical minerals and the supply chains underpinning the energy transition. His combination of reporting experience, market expertise and global perspective will strengthen our ability to provide customers with authoritative journalism and analysis at a time when these markets are becoming increasingly strategic to governments, investors and industry alike." Henry Sanderson said: "I am delighted to join Fastmarkets at a time of significant change across global commodity markets. The transition to a lower-carbon economy is reshaping industries, supply chains and investment patterns around the world, creating a growing need for trusted market intelligence. Fastmarkets has built a strong reputation for its pricing, journalism and market expertise, and I look forward to working with the team to deliver insight and analysis on the critical minerals and supply chains that are driving the energy transition." Based in London, Sanderson will contribute reporting, analysis and thought leadership across Fastmarkets' global commodities coverage, with a particular focus on rare earths, critical minerals, and the supply chains driving the energy transition. Connect with him on LinkedIn.

Fastmarkets proposes to launch Brazil domestic mesh-quality steel wire rod assessment. Fastmarkets proposes to launch a weekly price assessment for Brazilian domestic mesh-quality steel wire rod, ex-works, to provide additional transparency in the Brazilian long steel market. Subject to market feedback, the assessment would launch on October 16, 2026. September 4, 2026 Fastmarkets is considering the launch following discussions with producers, distributors and service centers regarding the need for a dedicated benchmark reflecting domestic mesh-quality wire rod pricing conditions in Brazil. Market participants have indicated that SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) 1008 and 1010 mesh-quality steel wire rod, typically in diameters ranging from 5.5mm to 10mm, is actively traded in Brazil and is widely used in construction and industrial applications. Feedback suggests that pricing is primarily driven by domestic mill offers and large downstream processors that purchase the material to produce a range of end products. Market participants also noted that pricing conditions vary depending on tax treatment and logistics structure, making an ex-works benchmark relevant for improved price discovery. Fastmarkets believes that the proposed price assessment would complement its existing Brazilian long steel price coverage by offering a clearer reference point for mesh-quality wire rod pricing and by improving transparency in a market sector with active but fragmented spot activity. What is changing Fastmarkets proposes to launch the following assessment: Steel wire rod (mesh-quality), domestic, exw Brazil, Reais per tonne (code to be assigned) Quantity: Minimum 150 tonnes Incoterm: Ex-works Brazil Location: Brazil Specification: SAE 1008-1010 mesh-quality steel wire rod, with a diameter of 5.5-10 mm Unit and currency: Brazilian Reais per tonne Delivery period: 3-4 weeks Data window: Market information received up to 1pm Eastern Time on the day of publication Frequency: Weekly. Friday, 2-3pm New York time, following the Brazil holiday calendar Notes: Excludes PIS and COFINS federal taxes, excludes ICMS state tax. Please send any questions or comments by October 2 to [email protected] and [email protected]. Please add the subject heading "re: Brazil domestic wire rod." Please indicate if comments are confidential. Fastmarkets will consider all comments received and will make comments not marked as confidential available upon request. To see all Fastmarkets' pricing methodology and specification documents, go to the Fastmarkets methodology page.