The Future Minerals Forum returns in January under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques; its sixth edition shifts from building consensus to financing and delivering projects amid record growth in Saudi exploration activity

Riyadh | BETH

Under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Riyadh will host the sixth edition of the Future Minerals Forum from January 12–14, 2027, under the theme “Global Cooperation for Resilient Mineral Supply Chains.”

The new edition marks a major shift in the forum’s trajectory: from building international consensus to mobilizing finance and technology and turning mining opportunities into executable, production-ready projects.

A high-level international ministerial meeting will lead the program, bringing together ministers, senior government officials, mining industry leaders and financial institutions. The forum will also feature a dedicated “Access to Finance” initiative linking investors with projects in Saudi Arabia and abroad.

The sixth edition follows the success of the 2026 forum, which attracted more than 21,500 participants and visitors from 175 countries and witnessed the signing of 132 agreements and memoranda of understanding worth more than SAR 100 billion. Across the forum’s first five editions, a total of 398 agreements and MoUs were announced, with a combined value exceeding SAR 282 billion.

The event also comes as Saudi Arabia’s mining exploration activity accelerates sharply. Exploration spending rose from SAR 205 million in 2020 to around SAR 1.36 billion in 2025, while the number of active exploration companies increased from 6 to 191 over the same period.

This growth is positioning Riyadh beyond its role as host of a global conference, toward becoming an international hub for minerals financing and for connecting the resources of Africa, West and Central Asia with investment, technology and emerging supply chains.

BETH Analysis:
Minerals are becoming one of the key pillars of the new global economy, and Saudi Arabia is working to position itself as part of the supply, the route and the financing.