The sector where geopolitics meets the drill rig
Critical minerals is the ASX sector where industrial policy, government funding, and discovery economics converge. The IR program has to handle Export Finance Australia, US DoE and DoD, Korean and Japanese off-take, and an ASX register that is becoming increasingly thematic. Orca runs IR for ASX-listed critical minerals companies through that lens.
Critical minerals and battery materials
Lithium, rare earths, graphite, nickel sulphide, copper, uranium
Australia hosts the majority of the world's listed critical-minerals exposure. Orca works with explorers, developers, and emerging producers through the post-2024 industrial-policy cycle.
What makes the IR work in this sector hard
Every sector has the disclosure quirks that catch a generalist firm out. The ones we see most in critical minerals and battery materials:
Thematic narrative volatility
Critical minerals trade on theme as much as fundamentals. The IR program has to be ready for both the discovery announcement and the macro turn.
Government funding stack
EFA, NAIF, CEFC, US DoE, US DoD, Korean Exim, JOGMEC — each layer adds disclosure, milestone, and narrative obligations.
Downstream and integration story
Off-take, refining, cathode-precursor positioning — the market increasingly prices integration, not just the resource.
Thematic register
Generalist funds, family offices, retail, and sovereign-adjacent capital all move through critical minerals registers — each requires a different communications cadence.
What we deliver into critical minerals and battery materials
Government and sovereign comms
Drafting, lodgement, and shareholder communications around EFA / NAIF / DoE / DoD funding announcements and milestone updates.
Off-take and strategic transactions
Off-take, strategic-equity, and royalty announcements drafted to satisfy both the counterparty and Listing Rule 3.1.
Downstream positioning
Investor day, capital markets day, and continuous-disclosure work that positions the company correctly in the downstream value chain.
Thematic narrative work
Macro-aware quarterly commentary that connects company progress to the thematic story, without overreaching on it.
Where we typically engage
The recurring announcement and milestone events that shape the sector calendar.
- Government funding award and milestone announcements
- Off-take agreements — lithium, REE, graphite, nickel
- Strategic equity from OEMs, downstream players
- Downstream integration announcements
- Resource upgrades, study results, FID
Services we run most often in this sector
Competitor Analysis
A tailored competitor and sector report, delivered weekly — peer announcements, share-price moves, and sector signals, synthesised by purpose-built AI into decision-ready reporting for your board.
Company Announcements
ASX announcements drafted, designed, and lodge-ready for small-mid cap companies — clearer, sharper, better-looking. Reviewed for consistent messaging and sequenced around your milestones.
PR Strategy and Tactics
Proactive PR and media strategy for small-mid cap ASX companies — a differentiated corporate narrative, media interviews and features, investor briefings, and crisis communication.
Frequently asked
Do you have US capital-markets reach?
We brief and engage US generalist and specialist funds through partner brokers and direct outreach. We do not replace a US IR partner for a Nasdaq dual-listing.
Do you cover uranium?
Yes — with awareness of the additional regulatory and ESG layer. Several of our mandates touch uranium exposure.
Talk to us about critical minerals and battery materials
Tell us about your company and where you want the market to be. We will take it from there.